Easy Target' 2; Dirty Shot
by WFROSE
Summary: Prequal to 'Easy Target', Ranma's beginnings as an elite Hitman (Complete, 'The Seven Fiancees' preview added)
1. Part 1

"So, we are all in agreement of this new heirarchy?" The large, stalky man wearing a jet black business suit with ebony black aviator style glasses asked his associates. All in the ballroom agreed. This new unity would establish a strong powerbase among those involved, and the advantages far outwieghed the advantages of remaining individual. Most of them were smaller powers in the area, unable to get a firm hold over the more established 'regulators' of the city. This opportunity provided them with a access to muscle they could not garner themselves. It all would take is to swear fealty to their 'silent' head. It wasn't like they couldn't wipe him out in the future if their objectives came to opposition, after all.  
  
"Then, I proudly welcome you to the new established.... what is that?"  
  
::CRISHHHHH!!!! KRINKLE::  
  
Ranma rolled, while tucking his trenchcoat around him to protect himself from the glass shards from the window he just busted through. Before any of the armed men in the large hall could gain their bearings, the man with the braided ponytailed drew two berettas, and opened fire. In the first barrage, Ranma dropped nine men, all while diving under a table, and kicking it over to provide cover.  
  
Bullets began to annialate the fiberboard table, forcing Ranma to dash from behind it, while opening fire in his strafe. The twenty remaining men kept their gunfire on the invader, forcing him to barely evade the hail of lead death raining vertically at him. In a gravity defying move, Ranma started to run up the curved wall of the circular hall, while concentrating on taking out the ones who seemed to have the most solid aim on him.  
  
Before the gunfire became too concentrated on him, Ranma pushed away from the wall and into the air. As he soared over the remaining men, Ranma attempted to open fire again, and found himself out of bullets. The ponytailed man changed the grip on his guns from the handle to the barrel after ejecting the clips slightly, and launched the spent clips at the crowd, connecting with two gunmen.  
  
Ranma didn't bother to reload his guns, instead he reholstered them, and ran at the gathered crowed of frantic men, all while weaving between bullets. Ranma dropped into a slide, taking out two men, then rolled and thrust one foot into the jaw of another man with his 'Shishkabob' attack. Ranma picked up the dropped gun in the same motion he was flipping back to his feet, and pointed at another guard at point blank.   
  
After dealing with the last man, Ranma leapt up into a right spin kick, that caught an approaching man in the head, causing his neck to twist farther than capable. Ranma continued the kick around, and turned it into a thrust kick that sent another guy that was coming up behind him flying. While still in the air, Ranma brought up his left leg, and performed another side kick to one other man to keep him away, and finally landed in a low right back sliding heel sweep that took out two other men.  
  
Ranma quickly stood up, and delivered a left back fist to yet another aggressor, and gave a push kick to the groin to another one standing in front of him. Ranma then quickly leaned to his side, allowing a bullet to fly right by his head, and strike the man behind him.  
  
The ponytailed man bent back, evading a punch from one man, and delivered a snap kick that pushed his nose into his brain. As the man fell back, Ranma gave him a thrust kick in the gut, sending him into another group of men. Once they were delt with, another man tried to attack Ranma from the side, but a well place elbow into his back sent him stumbling forwards. Before he got too far, Ranma skipped foward, jumped up, and hooked his right leg around the guy's neck, while driving his left foot's heel into the guy's abdomen and causing him to double over. Once in position, Ranma brought the gun to the guy's temple.  
  
Seven more men rushed at Ranma from the front, and the ponytailed man rolled backwards, and kicked the man he had just killed into them with his left leg after unhooking his right leg from the corpse. Continuing his roll, Ranma picked up two more guns, and came to kneeling. Without pause, Ranma emptied the clips of the glocks in his hands on the oncoming crowd. He ran out of bullets, just as they all dogpiled him..  
  
The men rolled off of the downed man, only to find it to be one of their own, with his neck broken, and holding a mechanical dolly. The doll waved its arm as if saying bye, and pinned to it, was a note:  
  
From Salvador, with love.  
  
Ranma was almost to the window, before the explosion occurred. With a gasp, he was thrown through it unceremoniously by the force, and out into the yard where several dead men lay. His body came to a stop next to a somewhat tall man with red hair and a stock build. In one hand he held a dagger that had a gun clip loaded into the handle, and was using it to clean his nails.  
  
"First of all, you were only supposed to get in there, plant the bomb, and get out. Second, all that grandstanding *should* have gotten you killed. Third, get rid of that trench coat, you look rediculous with it."  
  
Ranma turned to his partner in his sitting postition, and chuckled nervously while scratching the back of his head.  
  
  
Ranma  
Easy Target 2  
'Dirty Shot'  
_____________________________  
_____________________________  
  
"Damn Matrix," Rugar grumbled while keeping his eyes on the wet streets, "All you punks think you're damned Neo or something."  
  
"Hey, the job got done, didn't it?" Ranma grumbled, his attituted coming half from the beratement from his partner, and half from the sudden shift in weather outside, and of course he didn't have his umbrella.  
  
"Yeah, and wasted all your ammo while doing it, not to mention almost allowed several of them to escape. while we're talking about it, what in the Hell did you do in there? sounded like World War Three in there!"  
  
Ranma's face came alight, "Oh, ya shoulda seen it! First I jumped through the window and dropped nine guys right off the bat, and then I... hey.. HEY!!!!!" Ranma screeched, as the automatic window rolled down, allowing the rain into it.  
  
"Chill out, Ranma," Rugar stated casually, as his finger switched the passenger window to roll back up from his own control panel.  
  
"Alright, I guess I deserved that," grumbled the luscious redhead that was now sitting in the ponytailed man's place, "But it wasn't like I was in any real danger." Ranma's partner gave a grunt that signaled exactly his opinion on the matter. The guy had been in the business for a good long while, and valued the art of subtlety and efficiency, it had to be some sort of pennance for him to have such an idiotic and hard headed partner handed to him. Rugar didn't know much about Ranma's past, only having met him a year ago wandering through town like a vagabond drifter. He had witness the young man take out a couple of rapists that he himself was about to handle, and had to admit he was impressed.  
  
He treated the young martial artist to a meal at a local diner and found the kid was ravished for a meal. Fortunatly his pocketbook could easily afford Ranma's appetite, but it was apparent the young man couldn't himself. Rugar had to ask what the kid was doing with himself, not that he already knew, that is, and wasn't surprised at the answer. The redheaded man decided that he could help the kid named Ranma out. He could see the kid had a strong sense of honor, and was suffering from it for some reason or another he never enquired in (It wasn't his business, after all), and told him he could get Ranma a job that had some decent pay that would require his obvious talents.  
  
Ranma ended up a bodyguard for the 'high' maintnance, and ended up making himself a rep for being the best. Although the kid had some concerns about getting his name known, he seemed to soak up praise like a sponge. That ego of his could barely be supported by his neck soon enough.  
  
"Hey," Ranma-chan looked back to the way that would take them back to the office, "Office is *that* way."  
  
"R&R" Rugar replied, with a tone of amusement in his voice.  
  
"DAMMIT!" the redheaded woman shouted, "We're not going to that damn 'Giddy Bronco Texas' place again, are we?" Rugar continued to smile, but did not answer.  
  
"TURN THIS DAMN CAR AROUND, DAN! I'M NOT GOING, *ESPECIALLY* AS YOUR YOUNGER LESBIAN SISTER AGAIN!!!" Dan Rugar just whistled as he kept on driving. Ranma cutely pouted, and crossed her arms under her chest, "You're a jerk, you know that?"  
  
"And you're just soooo adorable, you know that, Squirt?" Ranma replied with a few choice words spoken in a low grumble, "What would Mom have to say about your language?" Rugar said with a mocking tone. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught Ranma flinching, from the prior comment, but assumed it was from the taunt itself.  
  
Ranma turned to look outside; the rain streaked window barely providing any visual beyond itself, not that Ranma-chan wasn't focusing on anything but her past. It didn't take them long to arrive at their destination. 


	2. Part 2

Ranma 1/2  
Easy Target Part 2; Dirty Shot  
  
The guard surveyed the area, and cursed the rain; because of it, he couldn't light a cigarette to calm himself. The mass hit earlier had put everyone on edge, and his boss was now riding his security to keep their eyes peeled.  
  
Unfortunatly, the boss's new supplied motivation did not allow him to notice the man dangling upside down from a rope above him.  
  
With the sound of a spinal column being rotated far beyond its capability, the burly man dressed in black wearing a ski mask shook his entangled leg from the rope, and landed on his feet while keeping his grip on the guard's head. He quickly dragged him out of site so no one would be alerted, and continued on his task.  
  
He kept to the shadows, and found a balcony with two guards posted on it. He kept his back against the balcony, and counted silently to himself. At the count of three, he leapt up and backwards, landing on the balcony. Before the guards could even cry out, the sound of metal sliding out of metal and wood sounded, and with the light tracing the steel that moved in a figure eight pattern, both guards' throats were slit. The prowler removed one of the security cards from the dead men, and used it to open the balcony door.  
  
He crepted quietly, knowing where the most well lit rooms would be, and where the most apparent places for cameras would be. With untold stealth, he made his way throught the mansion, undetected. He arrived at his final destination, and found two guards posted in front of the main bedroom he wanted in.  
  
The guards were in the middle of idle conversation, when they each felt something prick them in the neck. In irritation, they slapped their necks, and found needles potruding from them. The toxin quickly worked through their system, leaving the door unguarded.  
  
The assassin silently made his way into the room, and found his query in the midst of recreational activities with three call girls. He stuck to the shadows when the man in the bed looked up to see why the door had been opened.  
  
"Dammit, I'll have their nutsacks for that," he growled while sitting up. His motion startled the girl who had her head between his legs, but she didn't let that be a deterrant.  
  
The stalky man in the bed looked around the room to ensure that no one was inside. Once his sight reached one particular corner, he saw a flash of metal.  
  
And then he saw no more.  
_____________________  
  
Dan Rugar was a man to indulge in the simple pleasures of life; a nice cold imported largar, maybe a good stoogie, a few fistfuls of legal tender, some nicely built girls jiggling their assets for his viewing pleasure, and the added entertainment of seeing his 'kid sister' turn several shades of red as he forces her to come into conflict with her own hormones.  
  
"You're a dead man, you hear me Dan?" said Redhead managed to reply, as she gulped nervously with the girl in a skimpy, skimpy outfit giving her a lap dance.  
  
"You said that the last time."  
  
"I mean it this time, I'm going to kill you, and you're going to die. And I will never be brought... back..." Ranma-chan's eyes glossed over as the girl over her started to remove her bra. With a great deal of willpower, the redhead shook herself back to coherance, "You're a dead man, Dan."  
  
"Just enjoy your ten minutes, it's the least I can do for my little sister!"  
  
"T-ten...?" Ranma squeaked, while scooting deeper into her chair as her 'entertainer' started to jiggle more without any support, "Wha-why not f-five?"  
  
"Don't ever say that Big Bro doesn't ever do anything nice for you, squirt."  
  
"I... will kill... you *YIPE*... you dead." Ranma closed her eyes and hissed at the 'accidental' contact the other girl made with her lap. The stripper wasn't actually into girls; in fact, only one or two girls she knew of that worked here were. But the redhead was such a regular customer, and she just looked sooooo adorable that you just *had* to mess with her! Plus she 'tipped' well.  
  
"Relax, you've already been eight minutes into it, bet you didn't even notice, huh?" Ranma's dry throat prevented her from speaking.  
  
Six minutes later, Ranma-chan's private show was concluded, much to Ranma's mixed relief/disappointment. After the redhead managed to catch her breath, she found a handfull of bills shoved in front of her face, "What? Oh, come on not again!" Dan grinned, and dumped the money into the redheaded woman's lap, before scooting her chair closer up to the walkway. It wasn't log before Ranma found her face almost stuffed between the cheeks, lower ones, of a stripper wearing a colorful cowgirl 'outfit' (for lack of a better word).  
  
Ranma-chan knew the drill, if she wanted the girls to stop messing with her, thus allow enough boredomn to settle upon Dan, thus allowing them to leave; she would need to get rid of the cash. With little hesistation, she took a few of the bills she was handed, reached her hand up, and shoved them into the girl's g-string. She didn't give an overly exorbant amount to the girl, since she knew that Rugar would counter that by possibly giving her more money. And the longer she stayed, the more noticable her 'wet spot' would become.  
  
Dan will die for this, oh yes, he shall die.  
  
Unfortunately, the girl had not left, and continued to shake her derrier in front of the redhead. "Aren't you forgetting something?" The girl asked over her shoulder with a smug expression. Ranma-chan wimpered, and lightly patted the stripper on the ass to send her away.  
  
"Harder!" the girl commanded, Ranma wimpered again, but complied.  
  
"No, HARDER!" the pigtailed woman turned to glare at Dan, who was doing his very best to hold in his laughter, and turned back and smacked the girl firmly on her butt. The stripper smiled, and crawled on her hands and knees to another set of gentlemen.  
  
Rugar looked at Ranma with a slightly disgusted expression, "She wasn't worth that much, she was kind of chubby."  
  
"Yeah, but chubby in all the right places," Ranma breathed, not quite realizing what she said.  
  
"Heh, after all this time, you're now starting to get into the spirit of things!" Rugar congradulated, before looking up the runway, "hey, it's your fave!"  
  
Ranma whimpered at the girl that was slowly slithering up the runway to her on her stomach. The redhead may play the part, but she knew the girl up ahead was one of the few, and apparently damn proud of it.  
  
The blue haired woman finally made her way to Ranma-chan, and *almost* licked the woman on the cheek and pretended to trail it down to the ponytailed woman's collarbone. Ranma tried to scoot back, but found her chair mysteriously held firmly in it's spot. Mysteriously if you could consider Dan a miracle worker of some sort.  
  
"Uh, h-hi... again," Ranma replied in a pitch that was much higher than normal even for her cursed form. The other woman rested her stomach on the stage, with her breasts dangling over the edge, "Uh, fancy seeing you here agai-ACK!!!"  
  
Dan raised an eyebrow, she never did this before.  
  
Ranma-chan frantically waved her arms around, accidentally pulling the woman who firmly had her own hands grasping the redhead by the back of her head almost off the stage. To steady both of them, Ranma quickly put her arms around the other girl. The blue haired girl pulled her lips from Ranma's, and gave her a light peck before completely pulling away. Ranma blinked, and reached into her cleavage to pull out a folded piece of paper with a phone number on it. The blue haired stripper winked at Ranma, and then moved away.  
  
Ranma was frozen solid, until she felt a hand on her left shoulder, "You know this isn't natural, how about letting someone like me swing you back in the right direction?" Dan groaned as Ranma began to smile to herself; she just found her favorite stress relief toy.  
  
Ranma brought her right hand to trap the guy behind her's right hand on her shoulder, and got out of her seat while spinning counter-clockwise. She delivered a backfist to the guy's gut, while locking his elbow straight by his wrist. He doubled over while his arm was held up straight in an aikido hold by the wrist, and Ranma-Chan pushed the arm down hard. Her agressor's chin rammed hard into the stage, and Ranma-chan pulled him away before he bled all over it.  
  
While he was still doubled over, Ranma-chan turned away from him, and kicked up her right heel, thus agitating his injured jaw and sending him flying backwards onto a table.  
  
"We leave... now," Ranma-chan said with a tone of authority, before walking towards the exit. Dan only shook his head, and turned to the fallen man.  
  
"Squeaky, how many times is she gonna have to tell ya she's not interested?" The man in a burgundy business suit only groaned in response.  
_____________________  
  
The whole mansion was silent. It wasn't from a lack of bodies, though. In fact, there were quite a few bodies... and they were all cooling. A man totally enclothed in black walked out calmly, as if he had nothing to worry about. Once outside, he pulled out a rice cloth, and wiped the blood off his katana. He resheathed it into the holster on his back, and then pulled out a walkie-talkie.  
  
"Mission accomplished." He put the communication device away, and growled at the rain that was soaking his mask. He pulled it off to reveal a caucasion man of his late fortys with pepper black and gray hair. He looked around, knowing no one was alive to witness his face, and smugly strode towards the front gate. 


	3. Part 3

Ranma 1/2  
Easy Target Part 2; Dirty Shot  
Part 3  
  
  
  
Ranma had easily cycled through her admittadly limited vocabulary of swear words she could apply to her partner. Dan knew that she had vowed to live alone, though she would not give him the reasons why, yet he continued to torment her in such a manner.  
  
You just don't mess with a lonely guy's mind like that, it's just not right.  
  
As it was, Ranma's fustration only compiled when the hot water for her shower had suddenly gone out, leaving her female. The redhead quickly skipped out of the shower to escape the sudden cold blast, and decided that she was just too exhausted to bother heating up water on the apartment stove. Instead, she ventured into her room to sleep.  
  
For a good hour or so, Ranma-chan twisted and turned in bed, and found ignoring her... condition impossible. With a growl of fustration and submission, the redhead grabbed the magazine on her nightstand roughtly, undid her robe, and found a new set of swear words describe Rugar while she attempted to... unwind.  
_____________________________  
  
Ranma awoke with her robe haphazardly splayed about her to the knocking on her apartment door. Using her new extended swearing vocabulary, she adjusted her robe and quickly rushed for the door.  
  
Rugar found the door opened by a baggy-eyed redhead who's hair was mangled at best. She hadn't done a good job of fixing her robe before she got to the door. "Hard time sleeping?" Dan asked with an honest concern in his voice. The redheaded man's eyes rolled up to his forehead, where he found the barrel of a Colt M1911 pressed against it.   
  
Ranma-chan had her left forearm braced against the door frame, while her right hand held the gun to her soon-to-be deceased partner's forehead, "I told you last night I was going to kill you, didn't I?"  
  
"Yeah, I learned to take it with a grain of salt," The older man replied casually.  
  
"I mean it this time, Dan," Ranma's eyes narrowed as her lips pursed.  
  
Dan tilted his head slightly as to not jolt the gun and bring about his untimely demise, "Morning hormones?"  
  
::CL-ICK::  
  
"You think this is really funny, do you?" Ranma-chan growled, after cocking back the hammer.  
  
"You seemed stressed," Dan apparently didn't have life preservation on the forefront of his mind.  
  
"Three... damn... hours," Ranma replied evenly, "It took me three hours to get to sleep."  
  
"Mirror still on the ceiling?" Rugar quickly brought a thin stack of notes, and trapped it between the hammer and the base as Ranma pulled the trigger, "Here's your pay for last night, by the way."  
  
Ranma glared at her partner, and removed the money from the gun. Dan flinched, as the hammer fully collapsed, but not with enough force to set off the bullet. The redhead counted the money, and glared once again at Rugar.  
  
"Hey, I couldn't jam the hammer with any more," Dan replied with a smirk, and handed his partner the rest of what she was owed.  
  
"Now get the Hell out of here," Ranma growled, moving to slam the door.  
  
"I'll do that," Dan replied, turning to leave. Before he took a step, he looked back over his shoulder, "Oh, and take a shower, you smell musky as Hell!"  
  
Dan ran like his life depended on it, probably because it did.  
_____________________________  
  
Ranma came back into her apartment after chasing her partner out of the building, and went to make herself breakfast. The redhead gave a disgusted groan when she found things scarce; as a lot of it had gone bad. She didn't realize that she was so low on foodstuffs.  
  
"Guess I'll be shopping today," Ranma groaned, not relishing her least favorite task of living on her lonesome. She went to the shower to take Dan's advice (not that she did it because of his taunting, of course not), and once back to a guy, got herself dressed in a red and black hensly shirt that was color divided diagonally with the top half being black and the bottom half being red, along with black khaki slacks and black socks. He put on some red casual sneakers, and checked to ensure his extending batan was secure in the back of his pants. In the few months or so he had been working with Rugar, and even before that as a bodyguard, Ranma had garnered his fair share of enemies in both forms, and found that though carrying a gun around wasn't the most prudent thing to do in Korea, at least he should keep himself armed somehow.  
  
Once fully dressed, Ranma was ready to go.  
_____________________________  
  
The man wearing a kamikaze headband and man's kimono, sitting in lotus position on a ricestalk tatami mat read the report that his advisor had brought him. A hit separate from the mass one made earlier yesterday was brought to his attention. It wouldn't have been a big deal to him, in fact, he rather hated the guy who was offed. The problem was with all these hits suddenly happening to the citie's organized underworld, a power vacuum was going to be generated. If something like that were to happen, the sudden bid by all the remaining heads would tear the city apart. He called for his advisor to return shortly after he finished breakfast, and told him to contact his associates for a meeting.  
_____________________________  
  
Ranma scoured the produce section of his local supermarket for his usual supplies. He stopped in front of the bok chow to select one of the leafy vegetables, and didn't pay any mind to the Korean woman who was looking at him with a timid expression. She seemed to be firming her resolve, and approached the young man who was looking for a satisfactory bundle of the vegetable.  
  
"You must be a good cook, I mean... since you're looking so hard.... I mean."  
  
"Hmm?" Ranma turned to see a rather lovely looking woman of about his age and height with hair that reached the middle of her back wearing a baby blue turtleneck sweater and jeans. Even the sweater didn't hide her endowments well, and Ranma mentally found himself comparing his cursed form's assets to the ones before him. Not the first time or last time Ranma would curse his late-developing hormones.  
  
The woman didn't notice to where his gaze had traveled to, and bowed as she introduced herself, "My name is Mae Hyun Kim."  
  
Ranma smiled in reply, and bowed courteously, while inside he was grimacing. He noticed the woman's nervous and slightly shaky voice, her over polite mannerisms, and the way she presented herself before him. She was on the prowl, and he was the lunchmeat with the sign sticking out of it that read 'Here, Kitty kitty'.  
  
He hated to always do this, but he couldn't let anyone find out about his curse here when it wasn't nessisary, "I'm Ranma Saotome... and I'm kinda married, I'm afraid." Well, it was kind of the truth.  
  
The woman's eyes went wide as she noticed his ring. She stepped back quickly, and started to bow profusely while apologising for making a fool of herself. Ranma nervously looked around at the people who stopped to stare, and chuckled, chagrinned. He bowed down to tell the girl that it was okay, when she came up quickly, and smacked the back of her head into his right eye.  
  
"OW! GEEZ!!!" Ranma shouted covering his eye. Kim noticed what she did, and baulked. She offered to help him by pulling out a steak he had in his cart and offering to hold it over his eye.  
  
Kim was doing her novel best to keep from breaking down. She had been looking at the man named Ranma's shopping cart, and noted that he was shopping like a bachelor, she didn't realize that he could be shopping for himself because his wife may be away for the time being or something.  
  
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I'm such a clutz," the woman wimpered, trying to get Ranma to lift his head up so she could put the steak over it.  
  
"Watch out, you crazy..." Ranma turned to shout, and with his good eye, saw the woman's bottom lip trembling understress, while her eyes were watering. The ponytailed man mentally swore at himself for succombing to the one weakness he seemed he could never purge himself of, "Hey, it's not that bad, alright, it's just gonna swell a bit."  
  
"I... I didn't, I'm just such a clutz, and you looked like you may be a nice guy... and..."  
  
Ranma looked back with an expression of mirth, "You're new in town, aren't you?"  
  
"Uh, yeah," Kim replied, "I came here for college, and I don't know many people here. I just, well..."  
  
Ranma put his free hand up to forstall any more, "Look, I'm pretty new around here myself, so I know how it is."  
  
"Yes, but you at least have your wife," Kim replied softly, almost to the point where Ranma couldn't hear her. The young man tilted his head, as an idea came to him.  
  
"You know? My wife doesn't know anybody here either. She has her own job, but I don't get to see her often when she's not working... I'll tell you what," Ranma pulled out a piece of paper, and asked Kim for a pen. She reached into her purse and supplied one.  
  
"Here, this is my... our home phone number. Why don't you give us a call? I'm pretty sure she'll be glad to hear from you!"  
  
Kim blinked away some of her tears, and formed a genuine smile that Ranma had to flinch at; the woman was definitely a beauty that was going to haunt his restless nights. Personal vows of celibecy *really* suck.  
  
"I... I don't know what to say," she replied, gratefully.  
  
Ranma nodded his head, "Don't mention it, someone as cute as you shouldn't be crying. You won't catch a boyfriend if your face is all tear streaked and stuff."  
  
Kim nodded, and checked her watch, "Um, it was nice to meet you, I gotta get going for an interview myself, I'll call as soon as possible! I promise!" With that, Kim bowed again, and rushed to the checkout line. Ranma had to sigh, the girl had some serious confidence problems that he was going to have to work on. It suddenly struck him; he now possibly had a friend that existed outside of work. 


	4. Part 4

Ranma 1/2  
Easy Target Part 2; Dirty Shot  
Part 4  
  
  
  
"So, you're saying someone, probably one of us, is trying to off the others to get their hands on more around here?" a bald shaven man in a mauve business suit with a pink shirt and matching tie asked, while wiping the sweat from his brow.  
  
Oyabun Takeo nodded in affirmation, "I had called this meeting and agreed upon my honor for your safety to warn you of the trouble this would bring us. I do not wish to start a battle over this, but I request that if it is one of us that we cease these assassinations."  
  
"The mass one was beneficial for us." a man wearing all black with black lipstick and a pale ghostly face commented, while tossing his lengthy deep raven hair, "Those who perished were attempting a powerbase that would disrupt things as they were now. This second one may have been a singular hit, nothing really important."  
  
"My instincts tell me that this is not so," Takeo replied. He was a man who was trusted of all the local crime family heads and heavily respected. His instincts were always heeded by those who were prudent, because it has always proven lucrative, "I would find my disturbed spirit at peace if this was ensured. Nonetheless I give my warning freely." All those around the table nodded in understanding. Takeo continued, "I myself had already taken steps to eliminate this threat beyond this meeting, and as my guests, feel free to help yourself to my generous buffet for your troubles."  
____________________________  
  
"Another hit so soon?" Dan asked with a sceptical look towards Richter.  
  
"Yes, I know you and your young partner, Ramen was her name, correct? That you two were due some respite. But I do not think I can trust anyone else with this hit." The blond man wearing an off-white suit walked towards the glass coffee table in his office, and pointed to a paragraph of the documentation laying on it, "He's one of the larger family heads in this city. Those who work under him fear he's getting a bit, how should we say... presumptuous of what he can take? They need him eliminated, but do not want it pointed towards them to ensure loyalty from anyone who avidly followed him. I agree with them on this issue. Apparently yesterday left a sizable hole in things, and we do not need anyone's greed attempting to take control of the situation. That is why I'm asking you to take this one, it pays handsomely."  
  
"You know I never worried about the pay," Rugar replied, taking the picture out of the paperwork,and putting it into the pocket of his red flannel shirt, "I've already gotten all my Christmas shopping down anyhow, why would I need the money?"  
  
"But this is Jul.. forgive me, I forgot your humor. Anyhow, I need this done by tonight, if you would please be so kind as to be prompt about this mission? And as for the other task, it's not a priority, but keep your eyes out, please." Dan nodded, and walked out of Stromhaus's office.  
____________________________  
  
Ranma struggled with the four bags of groceries up the stairs, and to his apartment door. He blindly fumbled for his keys in his pockets, while balancing one bag on his head and another on the heel of his foot that he has kicked up for a perch. He made it to the small kitchenette and loaded the bags of food onto the small counter just as his cell phone went off.  
  
With a growl, Ranma pulled his business phone out while putting up the groceries, "Yeah?"  
  
"[Ranma, you busy tonight?]"  
  
"No, not really," the ponytailed man replied, putting up a box of cereal.  
  
"[Good, because you are now. Boss has a tailor fit job for us, something he wants quiet and untraceable.]"  
  
"Hmm, no prob, wasn't like I had anything else to do tonight," Ranma replied factually.  
  
"[I'll be by to pick you up at around seven, then. Dress to impress.]"  
  
"Gotcha, I'll see you this evening." Ranma turned off his phone, and finished putting up his groceries. Once that task was done, he made his way into the almost bare living room, and put his feet up on the modest table in front of the single couch to relax. Blindly, he reached for the remote to his portable CD player, and started a CD for his listening pleasure.  
  
He closed his eyes and listened to the soft slow song, using it to find his center. Not for the first time, he thought about how music was good for helping him with that. It wasn't too long ago that he had trouble doing such, what with the 'pressures' of work and all. Eventually he overcame things that had been a problem with his job, and understood the nessessity of it.  
  
His contemplation was cut short by the home phone ringing. Before the answering machine could kick in, Ranma rolled over to the stand by the couch, and picked up the teal portable phone laying on it, "Hello, Saotome residence... oh? That was quick, hold on a sec and I'll get her..." Ranma set the phone down, and walked to the kitchen. He turned on the cold water, and stuck his head under the faucet, pulling it out red instead of black. She picked up a towel she kept in the kitchen, and dried her hair before picking the phone back up.  
  
"Hello? Hi! How did the interview go? Oh, Ranma told me about it, he told me a lot about you. I did, er, he did? Sorry about that, my... husband can be a bit scatterbrained about things like that, my name is Ranm-Ranko, Saotome Ranko. Hey, you don't need to be nervous, I'm not a mass murderer or anything, I only kill bad guys... it's a joke. No, I was kidding. I can't tonight, I have some things I need to do. Tomorrow evening would be good for me probably. You can't? Congradulations! Where are you working? Ah, I understand, didn't mean to pry. You got anything going tomorrow morning? Well I'm usually up bright and early, so come on over. I did give you my address, right? Yeah, I mean my husband, sorry. Good, the building's pretty easy to find. By the way, where do you live? Okay, that's not too far from here, I'm afraid I don't have any transportation myself. No, me and my husband just never had the need for a car. Yeah, I'm pretty familiar with the bus system You just take the bus from the main road near Tangun Plaza, and take it all the way down to Kogoryu, I'm in the five story tall complex around the corner to your left. Okay, I'll see you again, um, then, bye!"  
  
Ranma-chan clicked off the phone, and laid her head down.  
____________________________  
  
"Pretty quiet in there," Ranma commented, looking towards the wall of the large estate.  
  
"Yeah, guess they're in the middle of something," Dan stated "All the better for us, I suppose."  
  
"Okay, want me to go in while you keep watch?"  
  
Dan shrugged, "Sure, just don't fuck this up with your grand standing."  
  
Ranma nodded, then faded from Rugar's perceptions. The only thing marking Ranma's leaving was the car door opening and closing. The redheaded man settled back into his seat, watching the gates. He knew Ranma wouldn't need him, with that Yamasenken thing; he may as well go to sleep. No sooner did he close his eyes...  
  
"Dan, get in here, now."  
____________________________  
  
The vetran to their line of work had to whistle; who ever did this was definitely a professional. Every person they had come across was dead, and killed in a way that had kept them silenced, apparently. Whoever did this could be a problem.  
  
"We weren't sent here to off everyone, this ain't a good thing," Dan commented, kicking another body lightly to flip it over. The corpse's eyes were still wide open, like it never even realized it was supposed to be dead yet. Rugar bent down and closed the eyelids of the deceased man.  
  
"Yeah, I'm going to guess we aren't going to get paid for this," Ranma joked, before making a slightly disgusted face with the body he had just found.  
  
"Richter is going to have to hear about this, and he ain't going to like it. Let's check out some of the other rooms and see if there is anyone left at all. Ranma nodded, and they split up. The redheaded man started slowly up the stairs, while the ponytailed man went to check one of the hall rooms.  
  
Ranma looked from side to side, before slightly turning the handle so only the softest 'click' sounded. He slowly pushed open the door, and as he did so, heard a beep.  
  
Dan also caught the beep, and his eyes went wide. He quickly turned back down the stairs, "RANMA WATCH..."  
  
The heavy explosion launched Ranma backwards about fifteen yards, causing him to land heavily on the tile floor. Dan quickly ran down the stairs to check Ranma, before noticing a man at the top of the stairs wearing all black rush out to see what just happened. He looked down, and saw Rugar, and froze.  
  
Rugar could swear the man was smiling behind the full cover mask. 


	5. Part 5

Ranma 1/2  
Easy Target 2; Dirty Shot  
  
  
  
"HEY!" Dan shouted, turning from Ranma. The assassin in black leapt over the bannister of the second floor onto the first floor, and landed running. The redheaded hitman barely had time to pull his dagger guns out on instinct, using both to intercept a vertical sword slice. The assassin spun to his left, lashing out with a horizontal slash to the ribs. Rugar jammed the slash with his left dagger gun, and staffed for his opponents ribs with the right weapon. The stranger swung his katana around in front of him from his own right to his left, intending to slice the other man's hand off, and when it missed, he snapped the blade up after stopping his swing at centerline, and jerked it up in a rising verticle slash with both hands.   
  
Rugar pulled his attack back just in time, and time seemed to slow down for him as he pulled his head back, just a millimeter from having his nose sliced in half up the middle. The black garbed man sharply jerked the blade from its raised position from center to top right corner, and then brought it down diagonally from his top right to his bottom left, attempting to split Rugar diagonally. The hitman darted back, while slamming the katana to his right, continuing its motion, with his left dagger; at the same time spinning to his right. Once Dan had fully rotated, he brought is right dagger gun, and aimed it at his opponent's head at point blank range. The black clad assassin was spinning to his left at the same time Rugar was spinning, and stopped just in time to turn his left side away and pull his head out of the way of a bullet, allowing it to pass by the left side of his head by a centimeter, while stabbing forward with his sword at Rugar's head. Rugar pulled his head to his right, only gaining a shallow gash on his left cheek.  
  
The two fighters stayed in that position for a few moments, looking into each other's eyes; Rugar's gun still pointed at the other man's head, while the other man had his sword right by Rugar's left ear. After a brief and intense respite, they went back at each other.  
  
Dan's daggers were flying at a furious pace, making harsh and tight stabs, while his opponent was forced to parry and retaliate every so often. Dan committed a wide swing with his right , which was parried by a vertical guard by the assassin. The man in black spun around with his back exposed to Rugar, and brought his sword over head for another vertical guard to counter Rugar's left wide slash. The assassin spun all the way around with a double hand strike with the katana towards Dan's neck. Dan ducked the slash, but wasn't able to avoid the inside crescent kick that followed.  
  
The redhead spun once in the air before landing on his back, opening fire with his dagger guns at the other man. The assassin leapt short into the air, pulling his body horizontal while in a tight spin. As he was twirling, he reached into his outfit, and pulled out a throwing knife. Dan rolled out of the way of the thrown blade that penetrated into the ground where his heart would have been, and wasn't given a chance to get off the ground, as his opponent had approached, trying to hack him from his prone position.  
  
Dan couldn't miss the gleeful expression on his opponent's face, as he was forced to frantically parry almost wild slashes intending to split him open. Suddenly, the assassin was knocked staggering to the side from Ranma's flutterkicks. The ponytailed man landed on his right foot, and spun on the ball of it while delivering a spinning thrust kick to their assailant's exposed ribs.  
  
The man in black was sent sliding on the tiled floor, and towards the exit. He took the oppoertunity to escape. Ranma started to take off in hot pursuit, before Dan stopped him.  
  
"Cool it, Ranma, he's trying to lead you out into an unknown situation."  
  
"But he..." Ranma tried to argue, and then growled as he realized it was now too late to follow anyhow.  
  
Dan pulled himself off the ground, and dusted himself off, "Kid, the way he was going at me, I'm pretty sure we'll get another shot, now let's go report to Stromhaus." Ranma looked at his partner, and nodded. He noticed the guy seemed to take a certain joy in trying to kill Rugar. And from the looks of the other corpses, that wasn't his usual operating proceedure.  
  
Ranma had to wonder why what was making this a personal issue between the two.  
________________________________  
  
Richter nodded to both Ranma and Dan in dismissal. He had paid them for the job anyhow, considering it a 'hazard pay', and told them he needed to consider things. Another hit was made on his territory, a professional hit at that from the description of the two he had sent out. There was no doubt about it now, someone was making a grand move that will just bring everything down around their ears. This assassin now had become prime target number one.  
________________________________  
  
The crisp air lacked the usual moisture that the British atmosphere usually held, making it seem cleaner to the senses, despite being in London. A young girl with light auburn hair of about twelve years of age walked along side a woman of darker hair color that was presumably her mother.  
  
"Mummy, I want to go in that store," the young girl demanded of her mother, while pointing to the department store that had various posh outfits on display in the window..   
  
The stately looking lady smiled down at her daughter, "We can't now, we are to meet your father in an hour."  
  
"Please, Mum?" the girl pleaded, looking up with hopeful eyes that melted her parent's heart.  
  
"Well, I suppose we have a spot of time... come on now. We can't dawdle or we'll miss your father." The mother and child walked briskly towards the door, and opened it. The beep that sounded was the last thing they were aware of before the ensuing explosion ended their lives...  
________________________________  
  
Dan woke up screaming at the dream, and looked around his room until he realized where he was. Once he settled down, he slumped over in despair, and began to cry over the greatest loss he could ever have felt for himself.  
________________________________  
  
Dan was particularly brutal with taunting Ranma last night about his 'lonesome' issues, keeping his partner off balance throught the ride home. Ranma was left tired and fustrated, but determined not to give into his urges. He would prove to himself he had SOME will power over his hormones, after all.  
  
After a cold shower to calm him down (which wasn't intentional, as the hot water had ran out, and did not manage to relieve him in the least) and an attempt to heat up some water on the stove (which of course, happened to be broken, why should she be surprised?), Ranma sulked into her room, and resigned herself to her fate...  
  
A five hour fate, at that. Dan was definitely thorough with Ranma this night. Damn female hormones...  
________________________________  
  
The redheaded woman opened up a bleary eye, and grumbled at the constant knocking at her door. Still half asleep , Ranma-chan got out of bed and idly adjusted her robes before approaching the door. She opened the door, and her eyes lit right up at the sight of a lovely looking Korean woman wearing an almost formal out fit consisting of pressed women's slacks, white turtleneck, and a vest that matched the pants.  
  
"Um, hello?" Kim asked tentatively, "Is this the Saotome residence?"  
  
"Ab, ah, um..." Ranma-chan considered lying, but then thought against it, "Yes, sure! You must be Kim, right?"  
  
"Then you're Ranko?" The other woman's eyes seemed to relax, "I'm pleased to meet you personally." Kim bowed a bit, and then stuck out her right hand to shake, not sure of which way to greet Japanese.  
  
Ranma recognized the gesture, and brought her own right hand to shake hands, but stopped when she noticed its.. encrusted state. "Eep!" the redhead quickly switched to her left hand, which puzzled Kim. The Korean woman tentatively brought her own left hand to shake.  
  
"Um, thanks for coming, um, coming by, uh, showing up," Ranma-chan stumbled, "but isn't it a bit early?"  
  
"Well...." Kim started, "I was hoping we could meet before lunch. I'm sorry if you were not ready, I guess I should have called.  
  
"It's alright, come on... step inside," Ranma stepped out of the way for her new friend to enter.  
  
"Um, this is... nice..." Kim complimented, looking around the rather modest apartment.  
  
"It was the first thing I could find when we moved here, but it's okay. Make yourself at home while I freshen up a bit," with that, Ranma rushed to the main bathroom.  
  
Kim sat on the couch, and looked around a bit at her surroundings, "Um, Mrs. Saotome, would you happen to have another restroom I could use?"  
  
Ranma stuck her head out of the bathroom door, "Sure, it's in the bedroom down the hall here."  
  
"Thank you," Kim got up, and went into Ranma-chan's room, while Ranma was busy washing her hands and other body parts.  
  
Kim entered the room, and noticed the smell. It immidiately embarrased her, but her screaming bladder forced her to ignore it. She started again, and noticed the slightly overly glossy looking magazine on the bed.  
  
"Ew..." Ranma snapped up in realization, and swore to herself as she rushed to her room. The redhead baulked at the site Kim looking disgustedly at her hand, and then wiping it off on the bed, while the magazine Ranma had forgotten to put up lay on the floor.  
  
"Whoops... I guess my husband left that there..." Ranma-chan chuckled nervously, as Kim's eyes got wide. The other woman ran to the bathroom to quickly wash her hands and then relieve herself. Ranma shook her head and slapped her forehead for her idiocy. 


	6. Part 6

Ranma 1/2  
Easy Target 2; Dirty Shot  
Part 6  
  
  
  
  
Ranma-chan gave her new friend a wary look, as they waited to arrive at their stop, "Um, about that magazine, it's my husband's, really..."  
  
Kim didn't turn to look at the other woman, "It's okay, really. It's... none of my business anyhow."  
  
"I'm not really like that, I'm a happily married man, er, woman."  
  
"I understand," Kim replied in an even tone, keeping her eyes straight, "Oh, here's our stop!"  
  
"Oh.. and, um, sorry about the mess on your hand," Ranma apologised sheepishly, and became a bit more chagrinned as her friend's already green complextion became a bit more pronounced.  
_______________________________  
  
"Sir, most the other major heads of the city have saught refuge, it is advised you do the same..."  
  
Oyabun Takeo raised a hand to forstall any more advisements from his trusted men, "If you wish for the tiger to approach the trap, you must supply enticing bait. And for the tiger to be felled, that bait must be just as deadly."  
  
"Takeo-san, you don't honestly mean to say that you're going to be the bait for this assassin?"  
  
"That is my intention, yes," Takeo replied, looking up from his lotus position. He was dressed in his full samurai outfit sans armor, with his dashio sitting in front of him. He was meditating to prepare for an intense fight that he would be the victer of, regardless of how powerful his opponent was.  
  
He knew he would be the next target, as he was currently the largest head of his own territory without being assosiated with another head. And as renowned as he was, his death would bring a great deal of chaos among everyone, as was the intent of the assasin, he had now surmised.  
  
"Sir, if you would allow me permission to at least assign some of our best men..."  
  
"ENOUGH! I do not want his suspicions aroused. The guard placement will remain as it always has, but prepare the men to evacuate once our advisary is seen on the premesis. Then it will be up to me to end this."  
  
Takeo's advisor nodded hesistantly, and then left to inform the men of their boss's plans. Takeo himself continued to sit in meditation, imagining his sword as divine vengence.  
_______________________________  
  
Kim walked out of the bathroom after washing her hands for the forth time that morning. Ranma herself was grumbling on how great of a start she was hitting it off with the other woman, and had no ideas on how to rectify the situation.  
  
Kim sat down and looked at the menu. Her face had thankfully gone back to it's normal compextion, the redhead noticed, but now her expression was becoming a bit nervous and sullen as she looked through the menu. That didn't escape Ranma's notice.  
  
"Um, something wrong?"  
  
Kim put down the menu, and forced a smile, "Well, I'm not really that hungry for lunch. How about we stop at a McDonalds or something?"  
  
The pigtailed woman blanched, "Uh, here's fine. Don't worry about finishing what you don't eat, though the food is so good that shouldn't be a problem."  
  
"But, um, these... well I don't really see much of what I want, I'm afraid."  
  
Ranma-chan tilted her head, "What's wrong?"  
  
Kim bowed her head in slight shame, "Well, since moving out to this city, I'm afraid I don't have much money, and I haven't started work yet so I'm afraid I can't spend much right now."  
  
Ranma raised her eyebrows, and restrained herself from slapping her forehead. The only other person she had ever gone out with was Dan, and neither of them were exactly hurting for money, "Oh, don't worry about it. Didn't I tell ya I'll cover you?"  
  
Kim picked up the menu again, skimmed over it, and then looked back towards her new friend, "I can't let you do that. These prices are..."  
  
"Something I'm used to, don't worry about it," Ranma-chan said, as she waved the argument off dismissively.  
  
"But... these prices are OUTRAGIOUS!!!"  
  
Ranma blinked at the other woman's outburst, "Um, it's not a problem, really."  
  
"How can you say that when you live in a dump like..." Kim stopped, and stared at a slightly irritated redhead in shock, "Oh, I didn't mean, I mean, that..."  
  
"Like I said earlier, it was the first thing I came across," Ranma-chan replied in a non-chilant attitude she didn't quite feel, "Are you ready to order, or not?" Kim bowed her head, and nodded meekly.  
_______________________________  
  
"Well, I guess I better head home, I have to work tonight," Kim said in a subdued voice.  
  
Ranma-chan sighed, "I guess, I probably need to get back myself."  
  
"Okay..." Kim kept her face turned away from Ranma-chan so the redhead wouldn't see the pout on her face. Her first outing with Ranko hadn't exactly been the best, in fact, they had barely said a word to each other after lunch. They had hit one of the local malls and went window shopping, but kept their opinions to themselves. Ranma did so because she wasn't exactly the most versed in women's apperal, and always went for nessessity than fashion. Kim, on the other hand, was silent because Ranma was silent, and thought she was still holding a grudge for the 'dump' comment earlier. Kim decided that it was best to cut her losses, and not waste the other woman's time with her; it was a big city, she could surely find other friends.  
  
"You want me to ride with you? It's not that far from my place."  
  
"Uh, no, no thanks, I wouldn't want to inconvenience you,"  
  
"It's not a problem, I'm not doing anything else right..." Ranma blinked, as her cellphone went off, "Hold on a sec, Hello?" The redhead's face bunched up, and then she let out a sigh. "Alright, I'll meet you back at my place in a half hour."  
  
"Ranma?" Kim asked, curiously.  
  
"Huh?" Ranma-chan asked, looking up at the other woman, forgetting her name was 'Ranko' at the moment.  
  
"Ranma, that was Ranma wanting you to come home?"  
  
"Ranma?" the redhead asked, still confused. Her eyes lit up in realization, "Oh! Yeah, that was my husband, he wants me home toooo..... cook dinner, that's it!"  
  
"Hmm? I thought Ranma knew how to cook himself?"  
  
"Oh? Oh! He does, it's just, well, he prefers me to cook. Women's work and all that..." the pigtailed woman chuckled nervously, while scratching the back of her head.  
  
Kim got a hard look in her eyes, "Did he tell you this?"  
  
"Um, uh... no?" Ranma-chan was finding it difficult to keep track of her own lie now, and felt it crashing onto the top of her head.  
  
Kim sighed, but her eyes remained hard and penetrating, "Well, you don't want to keep him waiting now, do we?"  
  
"Nope, we better get going quickly, don't want to keep him from his dinner," the shorter woman said briskly.  
_______________________________  
  
"I'm keeping you two on call for the time being," Richter started, while pruning one of the dangling strawberry vines in his office, "You two are best for this, and I do not want any mishaps on this assignment."  
  
"Of course, sir," Ranma replied respectfully.  
  
"I won't go into the details of why this assignment is vital, I just request that you ensure that this assassin is stopped. I will pay you handsomely for this, coupled with any rewards that the other houses are compiling for this person's head. I would dare suggest you two could retire and live well for even a few generations after this, when you succeed."  
  
"We'll get the job done, just because you asked us to," Rugar replied simply, earning a nod in his direction from Richter Stromhaus.  
  
"Of course, but the extra incentive should help your moral, I would think."  
  
"It does for me," Ranma stated, and then sweated as Dan and Richter focused on him with expresionless faces, "um, sir."  
  
Richter shrugged it off, and dismissed the two from his office, wishing them luck as they departed.  
_______________________________  
  
"Dan..." Ranma started calmly.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"How did I end up wet?" Dan motioned to the empty beer mug that was laying on its side by Ranma-chan, "Okay, and how did we end up *here* again?"  
  
"The republic voted so," Dan replied, not turning away from the topless girl slithering all over the floor.  
  
Ranma narrowed her eyes at her partner, "You actually get off on this, don't you?"  
  
"Now Sis, that's just disgusting! Can't big brother just share his joys with his favorite sibling?"  
  
"You freaking pervert!" Ranma-chan almost screeched, and then stood up, "I'll take the damn bus home."  
  
Rugar caught her, and sat the woman back down, "No, you're staying. Richter has us on call tonight... ALL night, until he says otherwise. So I suggest you sit here, and pass time."  
  
Ranma attempted to sulk, she really did. At least the beer in her lap would go a ways to explain her wetspot this time. Out of the corner of her eye, she noted Dan acting skittish, glancing around every so often. The pigtailed woman had noticed he was doing this every since she met him at her apartment, and wondered what had him spooked. Thus, she also started subtly scanning the club, which lead to her noting the approach of one unsavory type.  
  
"Oh, shit," Dan mumbled, not missing the bald man wearing a blue-gray business suit. The guy was a notorious sleeze, but he was a big notorious sleeze. Nun Guao was one of the heads of the city; though not very powerful, not someone they wanted to start up with. Dan, being the vetran, knew all this. Ranma, being the newbie, on the other hand...  
  
"Hey, little dyke, I got a few notes myself, hows about you pick from any one of those girls up there, and you two can come back to my mansion and put on a show?" Nobody had realized anything had happened, until Ranma powerbombed him through a table. Even Dan had to be impressed with the speed that Ranma had managed that; the guy was rather heavy set.  
  
Of course, Guao's three bodyguards went into action. The first one to Ranma's right drew his gun, and the redhead reached for it, and prevented the trigger from being pulled. The redhead then threw a side kick to the one on her left, sending him into a table. The third man pulled out an extending baton, and swung it at Ranma-chan's face. She bent backwards, still wrenching the guy with the gun's hand, and gave a push kick to the bodyguard that was right in front of her. Before she turned her attentions to the guy on her right...  
  
"Ra-Ranko?"  
  
Ranma-chan froze, and looked to the stripper that was standing at the end of the runway, looking at her in shock. 


	7. Part 7

Ranma  
Easy Target 2; Dirty Shot  
Part 7  
  
  
  
"Ranko?" Rugar mumbled, slightly confused, and then shrugged it off as he took another chug of his beer.  
  
"You're fucking dead, bitch!" the third bodyguard with the baton cried out as he pulled himself to standing. Ranma looked back towards him, and rolled herself back onto stage; parrying his verticle swing with her feet. The guy with the gun cried out, as his hand was wretched even further, and Ranma-chan swept her left foot into the back of the bodyguard's head, flipping him over and causing him to release the gun. Ranma continued to turn to her right from the sweep, and placed her hands against the ground with her left knee. She then gave a back thrust kick to the guy with the baton, causing his own weapon to connect with his head as he was pulling it back. Dan continued to sip his beer, as he stuck his foot out, causing the staggering man to trip.  
  
The second guard that was pulling himself from the table charged from Ranma-chan's right. She swung her right leg under her, and used it to launch herself over the aggressing man, rolling horizontally over his back as she did so. When she landed, she punted him between the legs, causing him to double over, and then leapt onto his head; using her butt to slam it into the runway floor.  
  
Nun Guao managed to recover by this point, "THE BITCH ON STAGE, SHE KNOWS HER! GET HER!"  
  
Kim was still frozen in shock and fear; shock from seeing her new friend hand the asses of a few gangsters back to them, and fear that it was happening in front of her. She screeched, when the guy once holding the gun climbed on stage and advanced on her. The redhead saw this, and leapt to her feet, and rushed towards Kim.  
  
"KIM DUCK!" The Korean woman had enough coherance to obey, just as Ranma leapt over her in a horizontal roll, kicking the bodyguard in the side of his face with her left foot. As he staggered, she landedon her left foot, and wrapped her right leg around the side of his neck. She then twisted into the air, sending the man flying off stage, and into another table.  
  
"YOU WORTHLESS FUCKS! KILL THE BI-..."  
  
"You mind? You're ruining the show," Dan said calmly, pointing the tip of his dagger against the base of Nun Guao's chin. The gangster carefully lifted his chin from it, and backed away with a malicious look, "Oh, and if you think of any retaliation, keep in mind she's one of Richter's employees."  
  
Guao got the point, and begrudgingly called his men to head out with him. Ranma-chan came out of stance, still anticipating on defending Kim, and then put an arm around her and lead her to the back. The other concerned strippers gave way to the two as they made it back to the dressing room.  
  
Once Ranma and Kim were seated, the redhead turned to her friend, "Hey, you okay?" When Kim didn't respond, Ranma reached over and lightly shook her shoulder, "Hey, Kim, you're okay now. You have nothing to worry about now... Kim?"  
  
The pigtailed woman suddenly jolted, as the nearly bare flesh of her Korean friend was suddenly pressed against her tightly. Akwardly, Ranma-chan reached around and hugged her sobbing friend, sighing at both the tears falling onto her neck, and the moistness that was building up... down there. Kim sure felt nice against her...  
  
"He... h-he..." Kim sobbed, unaware of the sensations she was sending off in her new friend.  
  
"Hey, it's okay, they won't bother you again, okay? I promise," the redhead said solomnly, while rubbing the other woman's shoulderblades.  
  
"Watch out, step aside. Hey, you ain't got anything I hadn't already seen out there.... okay, I hadn't seen that before..." Ranma looked over Kim's shoulder to see Rugar walk in, "Ranma, we gotta get going. Takeo's being hit."  
  
Ranma shot to standing, while carefully attempting not to jostle her distraught friend. The redhead looked over to one of the strippers standing by, "Um, can you make sure she's okay? I... gotta go." The woman nodded, and came to Kim's aid. Ranma and Dan quickly shot out the back exit.  
__________________________  
  
"Takeo's isn't far from here, about three miles north," Dan loudly stated, rushing for his car.  
  
"Gotcha, you get the car there, I'll get there ahead of you," Ranma-chan leapt backwards into a flip onto the club's roof, and then in a massive leap, leapt to another rooftop heading north. Dan was left slightly shocked at the feat, despite having seen Ranma perform that before, and rushed for his car.  
__________________________  
  
Oyabun Takeo sat in lotus position still, not allowing the sounds of conflict beyond his doors disturb his meditation. Suddenly, his chamber doors swung open, and a fwooshing sound came from it. In a flash of steel, Takeo was standing with his long katana at ready; a dagger dripping some clear fluid penetrating the wall to the side of him.  
  
"You will find me a much more difficult advisary than you intended," the crime boss stated solomnly. The man in black simply removed his sword from his back, and leapt for the attack...  
__________________________  
  
Ranma reached the gates of Takeo's estate and warehouse, and without hesistation, leapt over it. The redhead ignored the shouts of halt after her, and ran inside. A crowd of Takeo's men suddenly blocked her way, causing the redhead to grit her teeth, "Get out of my way, I don't have time for this!" Unfortunately, they weren't listening...  
__________________________  
  
Takeo and the assassin traded sword strikes furiously at an astonishing pace. Takeo parried a slash that came from down and to his left with his sword held vertically upside down against his left arm, and then swung it around and down towards his opponent's head. The assassin torqued his sword into a high guard, and blocked it. Continuing the flow, the man in black brought his sword to his high left and down towards the crime boss's neck. Takeo swung his sword to his right with his right hand, striking against the other sword. As soon as it connected, he brought his left hand against the back of the blade's tip, and forced it towards his assassin's neck, overpowering his guard at the same time.  
  
The assassin staggered back from the deep cut in his neck, and chuckled, "Nice, I most assuradly had not expected your level of skill."  
  
Takeo narrowed his eyes, "You're accent, British?"  
  
The man in black didn't answer, instead choosing to renew the battle with a wide one handed horizontal slash from his left to his right. Takeo jumped back, and dashed forward with a piercing stab that penetrated his opponent's stomach while ducking the slash back ment to sever his head from his neck, but the telling blow was ignored. The assassin slapped the blade penetrating his stomach away with his left hand, and gave shocked Takeo a front kick that sent him flying onto his back.  
  
The assassin stomped forward, and stabbed down at his target. Takeo rolled out of the way to his right and to kneeling position, and as his opponent was still overbalanced, delivered a crossing slash past the assassin's abdomen. The man in black staggered backwards again, and suddenly attempted another overhead slash with both hands.  
  
Takeo blocked the blow with a high guard while launching to his feet, and shoulder rammed his opponent. As the assassin was once again off balance, Takeo delivered three fatal blows; one to the neck, one to the chest, and a final one across the abdomen area once again.  
  
"FALL, DAMN YOU!" the crime boss commanded, as his blows were not even drawing blood. He wondered if this were some type of armor or if his opponent was even human; both notions beginning to fuel his nervousness.  
  
Ranma burst into the room, still holding one of Takeo's guards in a headlock, "TAKEO!"  
  
The break in concentration was all his opponent needed, and a slash across the crime boss's chest ended the fight. Ranma quickly pulled her guns and started to fire, as Takeo fell to the side. The assassin parried the bullets skillfully with his sword, only allowing a few to get by and strike him.  
  
Ranma-chan growled at her weapon's ineffectiveness, and rushed towards the man in black for hand to hand combat. She ducked a sword swing aimed for her chest, and slid into a kick towards the man's knees. As he toppled forward, she placed her feet under his rib cage, and thrust him backwards into the air. The assassin landed on his back, and immidiately kicked himself up and took off running; his task was complete, so there was no need to stay around.  
  
Ranma was about to take off, when she was stopped by Takeo's hand on her leg, "Blowfish toxin... antidote... top drawer." Ranma-chan looked to where the man was pointing, and back towards where her query had ran off to. It didn't take Ranma even a quick moment of contemplation as she made her decision.  
__________________________  
  
The assassin swung open the front door, and found himself bumrushed by a large and stout redheaded man. The man in black rolled his tackler into a tomoe throw, and then sprang to his feet. He unsheethed his sword, and swung backwards, just barely missing Rugar's face. The hitman quickly unsheathed his dagger guns from his back holsters, and launched at his opponent. Both dagger guns were skillfully blocked with one parry, causing the two to lock up.  
  
"Hello Daniel, how are the wife and children?" The man in black asked in a callous, emotionless, and infinitely cold voice, "Don't you want to ask me the same?"  
  
Dan's face lost all pigmentation... 


	8. Part 8

Ranma 1/2  
Easy Target 2; Dirty Shot  
  
  
  
  
Dan was pushed back and put off balance by both the shove and the callous comment. Rather than attack, the assassin gave Rugar a cold smirk that could be seen through the mask, "You know? Sometimes the best laid plans work pretty damn well after all."  
  
"Who the fuck are you?" Dan growled, readying his dagger guns for another attack.  
  
"Someone you should know very well," the man garbed in black removed his mask, revealing a man in his early fifties with pepper gray and black hair with stone slate eyes; just as colored and just as hard.  
  
Rugar backed up even further, shocked into dropping his guard, "N... Northrop?"  
  
"Got it in one," Northrop rushed at Rugar with his sword aimed to pierce his nemesis's chest. Before it could create an unwanted cavity in the redheaded man's torso, a throwing knife parried the sword off to the side. The sound of metal colliding with metal snapped Rugar out of his shocked trance enough to bring his let dagger gun across his chest and hold the weapon from swinging back at him.  
  
"Who's the cunt with you?" Northrop said with callous mirth, "She looks like a good ride for your old bones."  
  
"I AIN'T NOBODIE'S FUCK TOY, YA JERK!" Ranma-chan shouted, bringing her guns to bear, and firing. Dan and the assassin jumped back their opposite directions, and Ranma kept a bead on their target.  
  
Northrop dove behind a thick column in the main room, and brought his own guns out, "Girl's got a potty mouth on her, she suck on anything with those dirty lips?"  
  
"THAT DOES IT! HE DIES, DICK FIRST!" Ranma-chan pulled out the short sword that Takeo graciously let her have, though she only wanted to borrow it, but let her have it for saving his life. Armed with the object of ritious vengence, She leapt down from the top of the stairs, anddashed towards Northrop.  
  
"RANMA!" He wasn't even sure why he shouted, Dan knew Ranma wouldn't listen to him when she was like this. Northrop smirked, and turned into the open with twin macs aimed at Ranma-chan. The redheaded woman 'eeped' and dove behing the staircase away from the hail of bullets.  
  
Northrop turned towards Rugar, and forced the hitman to find his own cover behind one of the pillars in the room. He kept himself firmly behind the obstacle of the bullets, as they chipped away at the plaster and cement.  
  
The assassin quickly reholstered his left gun, and pulled out a grenade. Dan looked down, and estimated he had less than a second before it went off...  
  
"DAN?!?" Ranma shouted out, as she saw the location her partner was in explode, "Shit!" The redheaded woman jumped out from her hiding place, concentrating her fire towards the area Northrop was in, while strafing towards where Dan had been. She knew he wouldn't be able to survive and explosion like she could; she had used her ki to protect herself from the bomb the other day, and knew Dan had no such training, even as skilled as he was a fighter.  
  
Through the smoke, she saw Dan. apparently, he risked the bullet hail, and jumped to the opposite side the gernade was, and jumped with the momentum. Fortunately the pillar had taken the brunt of the blast, and was standing, arbeit with several fractures through it.  
  
"DAMMIT!" Northrop was forced to retreat behind his hiding place, as he was being pinned down with by two angles of gunfire. Deciding that he needed things back on his own terms, Northrop pulled out a remote, and pressed the button for it. At the three circuitbreaker locations, a bomb at each was detonated, plunging the house into dark. Once that was done, he pulled on a set of nightvision goggles, and stealthfully snuck towards where Rugar was laying on the ground from his dive.  
  
Ranma-chan managed to intercept him, surprising Northrop. He took a right snap kick to the chin from his left, and Ranma brought her right foot over and behind his head and drove her left knee into his stomach. She then stomped on his foot with her left foot as hard as she could, and shot out a left punch into his jaw. Before she could follow up wit a right cross, Northrop brought up his own right knee and attempted to knee Ranma in the stomach.  
  
The redhead hopped back, and dropped into a low inside sweep with her left foot. Northrop hopped over it, and while in the air, unsheathed his sword and attempted a verticle slash down upon the woman. Ranma rolled out of the way of it, and before Northrop could swing at her again, she brought up her left hand and aimed it at his face, "MOUKU TAKABISHA!"  
  
Northrop managed to pull his head back before the blow connected, unfortunately, the flash from the attack blinded him through his nightvision goggles from the light overload.  
  
"AAAHHH! FUCK!" Northrop dropped a presant for the redhead, and ran away towards the nearest exit. Ranma-chan's eyes went wide; though she couldn't see it, she heard the sound of a timer attached to a good weight of explosives landing upon the ground. With all the speed she could muster, she dove for where Rugar was nearly unconcious on the ground, picked him up, and ran herself for an exit.  
  
Takeo was considering renovating anyways...  
_________________________________  
  
Explaining their failiure to Richter wasn't as difficult as Ranma had thought. The man didn't seem to put much stock into her, but assumed that if Dan trusted her enough, he may as well believe Ranma's word. Dan himself was in the private medical office having his wounds tended to, though fortunately none of them were serious. But that left Ranma to explain everything to their boss, something she never had to do before, and did not relish doing so.  
  
After the slightly nerveracking report, Ranma dropped by the infimery to check on her partner, "Dan, what the hell happened back there?"  
  
"Just caught me off-guard, that's all," Rugar replied in a tone that clearly stated that he wasn't saying everything.  
  
"First I ever seen you get caught flat-footed like that," Ranma-chan idly replied, "You're lucky too, that sword of his was coated in poison."  
  
"Hmph," Dan rolled pulled himself out of the chair, "It's been a long night, lemme get you back home." Knowing she wasn't going to get any answers out of him, Ranma begrudgingly nodded.  
_________________________________  
  
Ranma arrived home after a very quiet ride home. After she was dropped off, the redhead staggered up her apartment stairs, and found a still distraught looking Kim sitting in front of her door.  
  
"Um... I... was kind of scared to go home..." the Korean woman replied timidly. Ranma mentally groaned, as she was reminded of seeing the other woman in much less attire earlier, and having all that flesh pushed up against her.  
  
"You mind if I... well..." Ranma-chan closed her eyes, and pinched her nose.  
  
"No, I suppose not, you can have my bed and I'll sleep out on the couch."  
  
"But... isn't your husband home?" Kim asked.  
  
"Huh? Oh! Uh... no. Heeeeee's, on a job right now. He, um, won't be back for a while, so it's okay."  
  
Kim squirmed nervously, "Well, no offense, but... do you mind if I get your couch?" Ranma blinked, and the her expression grew chagrinned.  
  
"Ah, I guess you would be kinda... uncomfortable in there, huh?" Ranma opened the door to her apartment, and let her friend in.  
  
"So... I heard you're a very good tipper.."  
  
"ACK!" Ranma froze, and turned her sweat beading face towards Kim.  
  
"I, well, so you're like that?" Kim asked with no slight amount of trepidation in her voice.  
  
"Um..." Ranma-chan grinned nervously, trying to come up with something to say.  
  
"I mean, I'm okay with it, I mean whatever makes you happy, I think it's actually kind of cute, really..."  
  
Ranma-chan threw a half lidded sideways glare towards Kim.  
  
"Oh, I mean, I'm not like that, myself. I mean I'm glad you are comfortable with who you are, and all... I mean..."  
  
"You're rambling," Ranma replied, dryly, while leading Kim to the couch for both of them to sit down, "You sure you're okay?"  
  
"I... well, now you know where I work," Kim replied sullenly. Ranma smirked.  
  
"Don't worry about it, most of the dancers down there are good girls. I have nothing against them or you."  
  
"So I've heard," Kim smirked back, earning a chuckle from Ranma-chan.  
  
"I guess we didn't start off on the right foot earlier, did we?"  
  
"No, I guess not," Kim replied back in a quiet voice.  
  
Ranma tilted her head, and held out her hand, "Hi, I'm Ranko Saotome."  
  
Kim looked down at the hand, and smiled herself. She took the other woman's hand, and replied, "Hi, I'm Mae Hyun Kim."  
  
"Would you like to be friends?" Ranma continued her smile, as her new re-aquianted friend nodded.  
  
"Ranko... doesn't that get confusing? Ranma Saotome, Ranko Saotome..."  
  
Ranma-chan pondered it for a bit, "You're right, it does. Call meee..... Yohiko. It wassss... my actual name. I... got the name Ranko as a joke since me and Ranma are told we act so alike"  
  
"Okay Rank... Yohiko. But I don't see how anyone could say you're anything like your husband. Exept the fact you both like women." Kim's tone held light teasing mirth as she smirked at her friend.  
  
Ranma faked an indignant expression, "Alright, fine. No steamy lesbian sex for you tonight, then!" Both burst out laughing. 


	9. Part 9

Ranma 1/2  
Easy Target 2; Dirty Shot  
  
  
  
  
"Morning!" Kim chirped, and then went pale, as a drowsy Ranma-chan strode in wearing only boxers, and... a hair tie. The redhead blinked, noticing someone was in her apartment; her first reaction was to dive for the gun hidden down in the couch, before realizing that she had allowed the other girl to stay there for the night.  
  
"Oh, hi Kim..." Ranma replied, before another realization snapped her awake, "SHIT!" Ranma ran back into her room, emerging a minute later with a dress shirt that was made for her male half. "Ah.. heh, heh, Morning Kim..."  
  
"Uh.." the Korean woman started, trying to help Ranma recover her dignity, "I made breakfast, to say thank you for letting me stay the night."  
  
"Oh? Cool!" Ranma-chan sat down at the small dining table, looking back towards Kim, "What you make?"  
  
"Oh! My mother's recipe tripe soup, and rice," Kim happily replied, serving her friend first.  
  
"Hmm? I have tripe?" Ranma-chan asked, taking a spoonful of her soup.  
  
"Uh, yeah, I think so," Kim replied with a smirk, that faded as soon as she saw Ranko, correction, Yohiko's expression, "Are you alright?"  
  
Without a reply, Ranma rushed to the bathroom, leaving Kim to brush down the strands of hair on her head that got caught in the rush draft from the smaller woman, "Yo-Yohiko?"  
  
The toilet flushed, and Ranma staggered out of the bathroom, using a towel to wipe her mouth, "Um, that wasn't tripe..."  
  
"It... it wasn't?" the Korean woman looked a bit put out by the announcement, Ranma merely waved it off.  
  
"Don't worry about it, I guess it was an honest mistake," the smallish redhead replied, taking a scoop of her rice with the chopsticks.  
  
"I... I'm sorry," Kim replied, bowing her head, "I... are you okay Yohiko?"  
  
Ranma continued to gag with her mouth closed, making it sound like she was choking. And without removing the chopsticks, rushed to the bathroom for a second time. Kim continued to look down at the table in dissappointment, as Ranma-chan staggered back into the small kitchen dinette, "Uh, I probably shoulda brushed my teeth first, before eating, I mean..."  
  
"Sorry, I guess it was pretty aweful, huh?" Kim still didn't look up, "I... I'll pay for the food I ruined, don't worry."  
  
Ranma-chan sighed, "Don't worry about it," she smirked slightly as her still settling stomach would allow, "I've had worse..."  
  
Kim nodded, but didn't meet the redhead's eyes, "I'm sorry."  
  
Ranma sighed, deciding she needed a mood lightener, "Heh, a while back I..." Ranma caught herself, and forced herself to continue without gaining a whistful tone, "I told this one girl, she was pretty aweful at cooking, I told her that the only way her cooking could really be this terrible is if she was TRYING to make it horrible. And she told me, 'Oh yeah, I bet I could actually make it really terrible, and that'll shut you up about my cooking'! I mean, she actually took it as a challenge to make something *worse*, and imagine my surprise when she *did*. I wasn't going to actually eat the slop, but she cornered me, and.."  
  
"My food's then as bad as her worst effort, then?" Kim had her eyes closed, with her head still bowed towards the table.  
  
"Wha? HEY NO! I didn't mean it like that!" Ranma swore under her breath, before continuing, "Maybe there was just something wrong with some of the ingredients..."  
  
"What could be wrong with water and rice?" Kim asked in an attempted jovial tone that lacked any true mirth.  
  
"Well, aaaahhhhh, did you wash the rice? I'm pretty hard about washing rice!" Ranma-chan stated nervously.  
  
Kim's head snapped up, as she looked at her friend with realization, "Oh, you're supposed to wash it first?"  
  
"Um, yeah, I mean the rice start and talc on it gets pretty nasty, you know?" Ranma internally sighed, as the other woman seemed to lighten up.  
  
Kim's face seemed to become determined, "Well, I'll get it right this time, then."  
  
"Ah..." Ranma winced, "I'll tell you what, how about we get dressed, and I take you out to breakfast? I know a great cafe near here, and then I can walk you home, sound good?"  
  
"I.. I can't really afford to eat out much, and I have to pay for wasting your food..."  
  
"Ah, no buts!" Ranma-chan interjected, "This is for ruining last night for you, I know how much you girls can bring in, you know?"  
  
"I-it wasn't your fault, really," Kim attempted to argue, as Ranma walked back into her room, and pulled out a pair of dress slacks and a blouse.  
  
"I don't want to hear it, I insist!" The redhead tossed the garments towards Kim, "Now, my pants, um, my husband's pants should fit you fine, and my blouse may be a bit loose on you but..."  
  
"And why would it be loose?" Kim asked with a slight edge in her voice.  
  
"Um, Iiiiii usuallydon'twearabra... and so I wear my shirts loose, that's it!" Ranma hoped Kim wouldn't question the beads of sweat that were beginning to build on her face.  
  
Kim contemplated the answer, and seemed mollified, "Okay, I guess, but someone with your rack shouldn't be going around without a bra, you know?"  
  
"Er... I've been told."Ranma pointed Kim towards the bathroom, and then closed the door for the girl to allow her some privacy. Once closed, Ranma-chan looked towards the heavens and whispered 'thank you'.  
____________________________  
  
"I see..." Richter replied over the phone, "Well, if you feel it's nessesary... alright, I understand, but I thought you would have more faith in your partner. Indeed, I'll have him investigate another assignment then... oh, nothing, just some busy work, is all... Good good, I'll await a report of your progress then, Auf veiderhoren."  
  
The blond Austrian hung up the phone, and thought for a few seconds, before picking the phone up again, "Yes, Ms. Ming? I need you to look up the number for our employee Saotome Ranma. Yes, please make haste, it is of slight importance..."  
____________________________  
  
Ranma strode back into her apartment, right when the answering machine clicked off as whoever called hung up. The redhead walked over to find it was the only message left the whole morning, and listened.  
  
"Mr. Saotome, I am unfortunate to not find you home at this time, and I am disheartened that I wasn't able to reach you on your cellphone..."  
  
Ranma checked herself, and swore when she realized she left her phone at home, "Anyhow, I request you call me back as soon as you hear this, it's a matter I would like you to look into..."  
  
Ranma shrugged, trying to seem disconcerned with whatever her boss wanted, and surpressing the notion that she was in deep shit for something. With a little trepidation, the redhead picked up the phone, and dialed the direct number she had never been allowed to use before...  
  
"Uh, Richter... I mean, Mr. Stromhaus, is th-there something you wanted...?"  
____________________________  
  
Rugar continued to pack ammo and load clips with rounds. He decided that this was something he'd have to do on his own, regardless of what Ranma had to say on the subject. he knew he would be upset about it, but this was just too personal to involve anyone else in it, especially Ranma. Northrop was in town for a reason other than assassinating the underworld's bosses of the city...  
  
He was that reason.  
  
"Northrop, we're gonna settle this, once and for all," Dan growled, before feeling the tip of a gunbarrel against his head.  
  
"Right, you can take whatever it is with this Northorp guy that's got your panties up in a bunch," Ranma replied, bringing his free hand over to motion Rugar to put his guns off to the side, "But in the meantime, how about we chat?"  
  
"Ah, hi Ranma, let yourself in, did you?" Dan said nervously.  
  
"What the hell is this all about? You're cutting me out of this gig?"  
  
"Ah, I thought you could use the time off..."  
  
"Na," Ranma replied casually with a slight edge of anger in his voice, "got bills to pay..."  
  
"I'll give you half of the proceeds, just for being my friend?" Dan winced, when Ranma popped him up the back of his head.  
  
"I ain't in the mood for cute, and you know I don't accept charity. Now talk."  
  
"Ranma..." Dan started with a tired voice, "We said we wouldn't ask each other about our pasts, right?"  
  
Ranma was thrown off by the question, "Uh, yeah, so?"  
  
"Well, before I say anything about this, you're gonna tell me..." Dan went back to loading bullet rounds into clips, "You're a bright kid, what the hell were you doin wandering like some vagabond?"  
  
"And what does this have to do with anything?" Ranma growled, stepping back, but keeping the gun aimed at his partner.  
  
"If you can't answer the question, I can't tell you what this is about." Dan gathered the rounds, and loaded them into his cargo pants pockets. Then, he reached for his dagger guns, and slowly put them into their holsters as to not startle Ranma.  
  
"I'm afraid I can't just let you leave," Ranma replied with a somber tone, "Mr. Stromhaus..."  
  
"Tipped you off, I know. I guess I shouldn'ta told him anything, but this is part of business." Dan stood up, and started for the door of his house.  
  
"Dan, stop..." Ranma kept the gun traced on his partner.  
  
Dan paused at the door, "If you're gonna shoot, just shoot, but this job is no longer your concern." With that, he opened the door, and walked out.  
  
"Shit!" Ranma swore for his overbearing sense of honor to shoot a man in the back, and rushed for the door. He looked around to find Dan seeming to have vanished into thin air. The ponytailed man swore, as he started to the rooftops. He knew his chances of finding his partner were slim; Rugar wasn't quite in Ranma's league when it came to stealth, but he knew what he was doing well enough.  
  
From the house next door, Rugar watched, as Ranma leapt to the roof of the next house, away from him. Pocketing the key of the second house he owned, he waited a while before he was sure Ranma was gone. 


	10. Part 10

Ranma 1/2  
Easy Target 2; Dirty Shot  
Part 11  
  
  
  
Rugar walked into the open of the open of the belltower. The still massive within it easily towered him, as it glistened in the afternoon sun, but hid the rest of the light behind its gargantuan mass. The hitman looked around grimly, knowing that he presently wasn't in any danger from a snipe hit; the man that invited him here wanted something more than just his death. Boldly, Dan cricked his neck from side to side, and then folded his arms, "Northrop."  
  
"You know? One shot, all it would have taken..." the man with salt and pepper hair slide off the bell, and landed on the ground with his rifle still aimed at his life's bane. With a disgusted snort, he tossed the weapon away with distain, "No, but I'm not gonna make it that easy for you."  
  
Dan looked unimpressed, "So, you want to finish this? I was wondering when you'd show up in my life again, I was beginning to feel pretty lonely without you."  
  
Northrop gave a slight chuckle that didn't seem to come from the mouth of his mirthless facade, "You know, that day, she said something along that line..."  
  
Dan's almost disinterested expression dropped, as his arms unfolded, "What's this all about, anyway? You've been dogging me..."  
  
"She said I wasn't paying much attention to her, that she was beginning to feel pretty lonely without me," Northrop sniffed, and turned to look at the bell behind him, "I promised her that, after work, *sigh*, I promised her, that we'd do something special. Her, me, and Chancey..."  
  
"I don't care for whimsical anicdotes, you have something to tell me, then say it."  
  
"Mr. Rugar..." the assassin turned to regard his nemesis sharply, "shut up. Now, as I was saying, I was going to meet them, in not more than an hour I think, and I... I..." With concentrated anger, he punched the bell in a blow that should have shattered his hand. The resulting ring reverberated throught the tower, scaring the pigeons and other birds that were resting in it away. "There was a bombing that day in London..."  
  
Rugar's eyes went wide, and he staggared back a step. The bomb that almost took out Ranma if it weren't for the fact his partner was so damn resiliant, the inferred trip sensor with the familiar set signal, "That bomb you used the other day..."  
  
"Got it in one," Northrop replied with a strained smirk, "Pretty good design, reliable in fact. Same design that KILLED MY WIFE AND CHILD."  
  
At that, Dan's blood ran cold, as an immense feeling of guilt washed over him, "I... I..."  
  
"You're sorry?" the assassin started in a low whisper, "YOU'RE SORRY?!?" He broke out into a cracked laughter that seemed even louder than the bell had been, "Well, your damn 'sorriness' doesn't cut it."  
  
"So, this is all about revenge?" Dan attempted to recover some of his lost bravado, "It was a mistake, one I've regretted since that day. I never meant..."  
  
"Well, we don't mean a lot of shit in our lives," Northrop turned an intensely cold glare towards Dan, "Shoulda... coulda... woulda... I believe the American phrase is. Why don't we ask our audience?"  
  
"Audience?" Rugar replied in question. His answer came, as a ponytailed young man seemed to melt from the shadows, with a solidly grim expression that seemed to hold back the shock he truly felt.  
  
"Is... is this true?" Ranma asked in a low, emotionless whisper.  
  
"Ranma... kid... I..."  
  
"Want to offer more excuses and condolences! Completely worthless apologies from Dan Rugar! Collect them all! Trade them with friends!" Northrop cut in, throwing his hands up in the air in disgust.  
  
"Ranma... how did you get here...?"  
  
"You think I didn't know about the second house you own? You're not *that* fast, you know?" Ranma turned his head away, "What's this all about, killing innocents?"  
  
"Oh? He never told you, huh? I guess that would be just like him, probably denying his past ever happened," Northrop was turned away, and unsheathed his sword, "but, I think it's time for our paths to diverge; me into the future, you back to the past." Dan pulled out his dagger guns, and went into a simple stance that Ranma could tell lacked any heart or determination, "What you mean?" To both the other men, the question was only weak, and showed a slight cowardice.  
  
"What I mean is, for the ghost of my family to rest, I'll have your life."  
  
"Ranma, stay out of this."  
  
The Ponytailed man sniffed, "Don't worry, I'm not going to get involved with your past..." Ranma stepped back so that he could observe the upcoming fight without any potential interferance.  
  
"Now, I'll see you dead," Northrop ran at Dan with the edge of his sword upward, and the tip aimed for its target's heart.  
  
"Bring it on," Dan growled, using his right dagger gun to stab forward, and parry the thrust to his right. As the redheaded man stabbed towards Northrop's ungarded flank with his left weapon, the assassin stepped back with his right foot, and spun around the attack, countering with a verticle overhead slash. Dan swung his right dagger against the blade, causing it to pass just barely past his left shoulder. He then thrust his right elbow forward into Northrop's face, causing him to stagger back. Before the assassin could recover, Dan slid his right dagger against the katana, causing sparks to fly from their friction, and slashed upward and across Northrop's face. Northrop staggered, managing to turn his head to the side to catch the slash on his left cheek, and delivered a left thrust kick to Dan's stomach, almost knocking the wind out of him.  
  
Northrop fingered the bloody but shallow cut that started from the bottom left of his left cheek, and almost went up to his nose, while Dan shook off the effects of his opponent's counter attack. "First blood's yours, or should I say, first, second, or third?"  
  
"Shut up," Dan growled, going back into stance again.  
  
"Feh, I guess innocent blood doesn't count for you then, does it?" Northrop restarted the battle, swinging his blade tightly against him from his top right to his bottom left. Dan tilted to his left to evade the swing, and stabbed towards his opponent's open right ribs. Northrop quickly stepped his leading right foot out towards Dan's right, and then his back foot to swing in a nine o'clock position, bringing him to Dan's right side. As Dan's dagger missed his ribs, Northrop retaliated with a swing towards the right of Dan's neck. just before it could end the fight with a beheading, Dan slid his right dagger just between his neck and the sword, managing to slice his own right cheek a bit.  
  
Spinning with the momentum, Rugar ducked down and committed a reverse sweep with his right leg. Northrop stomped his right leg down, causing the sweep to become ineffective against Northrop's brace . The assassin then swung downwards towards Rugar's right shoulder, which Dan brought both his dagger guns to parry. From his prone position, Dan raised his right leg, and kicked it against the inside of Northrop's knee, and then shot his left foot back behind his opponent's braced left leg, and used his heel to hook back and trip him.  
  
Ranma observed the fight with a passive, yet critical eye. They were both showing a good deal of skill; while Northrop looked like he was using a very rough and probably self taught style, as Dan used a very militaristic form without much flare or style; just the essentials. Ranma noticed something else, Northrop's cheek had already completely healed...  
  
Dan rolled back to gain some ground, as Northrop fell. Barely before he hit the ground, Northrop kicked himself back to standing, and then somersaulted in a tight single spin towards his nemesis, and landed kneeling on his right knee with a downward slash that chipped the concret floor and cause sparks to fly. Dan had barely managed to roll to the left to evade the strike, and brought himself to standing. Both men leapt at each other at once, and Northrop saw the opening in Dan's left side. As the sword swing headed towards it, the redheaded man smirked, and spun on his right heel to his right. As he did so, he brought both his weapons to parry the sword blow, while bracing his left foot back. He pushed off with his back foot's toe, slid his right foot forward to aggress, and delivered a Muay Thai right slashing elbow into Northrop's jaw, sending him falling back.   
  
Northrop tried to bring up his blade, but found Dan's boot stepping on his right arm. "Game's over," Dan stated emotionlessly.  
  
"NO!" Northrop shouted, "I WILL NOT BE DENIED!" Dan only blinked, as Northrop brought his left arm up, in his sleeve on the inside of his wrist, was the muzzle of a gun.  
  
::FUUUT!::  
  
"DAN!" Ranma shouted, rushing towards his staggering partner. Northrop rolled away, and rushed towards one of the open sides of the tower, and leapt out in a dive. Ranma quickly checked Dan's status, finding a dart deeply piercing into Dan's chest; it was more than likely also poisoned. Quickly, the pony tailed young man pulled out his cell phone, and called their agency's private emergency line... 


	11. Part 11

Ranma 1/2  
Easy Target 2; Dirty Shot  
Part 11  
  
  
  
It was a hospital like any other. In fact, it was just one of the public hospitals of the town; arbeit one of the best ones, but not one to be 'exclusive' in their clientelle. Regardless, the number Ranma used garnered them complete secrecy, so that no questions would be asked later.   
  
Ranma ignored the sheer... whiteness of the room, in favor of the slightly more favorable sight of his partner. Whatever it was inside Rugar, it was working its way through him quick. No matter how much they tried to remove or dilute it, he was still deteriorating.  
  
Dan barely held concious, as tubes had been set into him with the purpose of swiftly removing tainted blood that was laden with an unidentifiable toxin, and replacing it with stocks of plasma. Ranma looked upon Rugar; the red headed man looked ragged, but not decrepid, and Ranma was glad of that, at least. His partner deserved his dignity, despite what he may have done in the past.  
  
Ranma wasn't paying attention to the docter, as he droned on about Dan's chances, and apologised profusely. Getting tired of the background noise, Ranma raised a hand to stall the docter from further comments, and sat down in the chair next to Dan.  
  
"Dan, what was this all about?"  
  
The man laying in bed opened his eyes, and turned to Ranma, "Thought... we weren't interested in hearing each other's pasts?"  
  
"This is beyond that," Ranma replied, simply. He was relieved when Dan slowly nodded in agreement.  
  
"I guess... I guess somebody needs to hear it. If you hadn't figured it out, I'm a Limey." The bed ridden man sighed at Ranma's blank expression, and clarified, "I'm Irish, you know? Like the English, only better and with red hair?"  
  
Ranma nodded in comprehension, "I always thought you were American, really. Probably one of their old green barracks or something."  
  
"That's 'Green Beret'," Dan corrected, "and actually, my military training comes from the IRA, Irish Republican Army."  
  
"Okay..." Ranma replied, barely following along.  
  
"We were upholding our beliefs, that Ireland was being oppressed by the domineering English. Heh, back then, I didn't believe in that bullshit, and I don't now, either..."  
  
"Then why did you join with this IRA?"  
  
Rugar attempted to shrug, but was unable to, "What any shit-for-brains hotshot cock popp'n kid would... glory... glory and the thrill." Dan took a slow breath, to regain himself, "I thought I could be a hero to everyone, be the best. I didn't think I was going anywhere in my life, so like the young idiot I was, got caught up in it all."  
  
Dan's tone managed to become somber, as he looked away from Ranma, "We had a mission in London. It wasn't uncommon for us to make examples of public places for 'our' cause; we were hellbent on being heard. The target we picked out was this store. We agreed on it because it was near a highly secure area, figured we make noise close enough, we'd shake them a bit. It was a bomb we picked up from a supplier, newest model he had in compact explosives, packs quite a punch, from what I saw. State of the art inferred trip laser, and easily stuck to any surface and did well not to be noticeable. We stayed around to watch the fruits of our labor. It was stupid of me not to realize at the time, but anyone could have happened to open that door, not that they weren't still fair game. I.. I rised our cover, rushing out and shouting for them to stop, but they didn't hear me. But once the explosion happened, everyone who hadn't panicked knew who to look for, the butch looking redhead. Things got a little hot for me in both England and Ireland, since they weren't too happy about me risking the mission like that, even if it was small potatos."  
  
"So, you did kill his family," Ranma stated, not questioned. Dan's eyes sunk at the hint of anger and disgust in the ponytailed man's voice.  
  
"Yeah, a woman and her kid walked into the store." Dan looked back towards Ranma, and firmed his voice, "There wasn't a God Damned day for years I didn't wake up with the ringing explosion in my ears. Didn't have to quell the thought that that little girl wouldn't even know what happened to her. I had to live with the fact that I was responsible for that girl and her mom's death. You think I'm sorry? I'm the sorriest damn bastard that had ever been born."  
  
"So, you're feeling sorry for yourself, because you killed a woman and her child," Ranma's voice seemed to hold even more disgust in it than before, "I used to think better of you than that, you selfish bast..."  
  
"Damn it, you're twisting my words around!" Dan shouted weakly, while doing his nominal best to glare at Ranma, "It ain't like I can do anything about it now, if I could do something about it, I..."  
  
"Yeah, yeah, 'Shoulda... coulda... woulda... I believe the American phrase is'?" Ranma quoted coldly, before grabbing Dan's dagger guns and holster, and walking to the exit, "Remind me to tell you a bit about my past life, when I get done with this mission." With that, Ranma walked out of the room, leaving Dan to his own misery.  
_________________________________  
  
"So, this was indeed a conflict of intrests with Mr. Dan Rugar," Stromhaus replied, the fact he used Dan's full name with such formality proved to Ranma just how displeased he was with the whole situation, "I won't say I condone his past actions, but I simply cannot allow personal feelings of my employees to get in the way of their assignments. I'm afraid I'm taking you both off this."  
  
"But..." Ranma started, before quickly remembering his place.  
  
"You had something to say?" Richter asked sharply, turning back to Ranma with a critical eye.  
  
"Um, well, no sir. I wasn't going to say anything." Ranma replied quietly.  
  
Richter turned away with sniff of distain, "Tragic... you're dismissed."  
  
Ranma blinked, and tried to decypher the cryptic response his employer responded with, "Um, okay..." Ranma suddenly found himself irritated, knowing that he was being looked down upon, "In fact, I got my own things to do." Ranma barely held himself from storming out, and managed to keep himself from slamming the door. He didn't catch the surprised look on Richter's face, as he watched Ranma depart, and his slight jolt, as the door closed louder than Ranma meant it to. A slight smile crossed his face; he knew the kid had something worthwhile in him. Richter sat back down at his desk, working over certain details that pertained to Rugar and Saotome.  
_________________________________  
  
Ranma had ran along the rooftops, and caught a ride home on the top of a bus. Once he was back to his apartment, did he allow himself to vent. he slammed his own door, knowing the specially designed hinges would absorb the shock with minimal damage, and slumped into his couch with a sigh. Once he was settled, he brought out Dan's specially designed back holster for his dagger guns. The man had made both the weapons and the holster himself; all three items showing a good craftsmanship. He removed the daggers, idly spinning them around by the trigger rings. They were a bit unbalanced to be throwing knives, but the short yet weighted backs allowed for a better spin, Ranma noted. allowing them to spin like a buzzsaw. Deciding to test them further, Ranma stood up, and copied the stance Rugar usually used with them.  
  
He did a wide horizontal swipe from his right to his left with right weapon, spinning it as if it were a disk. Maybe not directly, but Ranma felt like Dan betrayed him, the guy was honorful and professional to a fault, yet he allowed such a tragic mistake to happen. And he did it for what? So he could show that he could swing his nuts like the rest of the guys. Ranma spun into a spin kick with his left foot, snapping the heel out, and then a back hand swing with the left dagger gun with it spinning. Richter didn't even trust him without Dan, despite Dan being so incompotent... no, that wasn't fair. It was a mistake Rugar made a long time ago, and apparently he's still paying for it. It was obvious this wasn't the first meeting between Northrop and Rugar, what with the way Northrop was talking tonight. That was what Ranma was upset about, other than the fact that innocents died for some self-ritious cause that Ranma himself didn't know anything about, but sounded stupid to him all the same.  
  
Ranma followed up by stepping forward with his right, and commiting a vertical rising slash with the right dagger gun, and then a leaping toe kick with the left foot. Dan was running away from his problems, and he had been running for a long... long time. Ranma came down from his kick with a vertical descending stab with the left weapon in a reverse grip. He then leaned to the right sideways in a drunken style, while balancing only on his right foot; guarding his head with the right dagger gun, and parrying an imagined strike.  
  
Hypocrite, Ranma thought to himself. what had he been doing, himself? That's different? Even he knew it was bull. They both chose to leave what they could not rectify by any means behind, and were well aware of the problems that they would cause. Ranma spun on his right heel back to his right, bringing the spinning left dagger around in a windmill strike, and followed up with the right dagger, which was also spinning. Ranma knew right then, that he was being judgemental, like a little kid who pointed accusations while only seeing one side of the fight. Fuck blame...  
  
Ranma committed a Muay Thai push kick with his right foot, and faded it back into a mantis style retreat; both the dagger guns in a reverse grip gaurd...  
  
Fuck Richter for treating him like some incompotent wet nosed kid...  
  
Ranma slid forward with his left foot, attacking with an aggressive horizontal swipe with the left at chest level...  
  
He was Ranma Saotome...  
  
Ranma delivered a Shoot Fighting style quick knee with his right...  
  
And he was not one to be taken lightly.  
  
Ranma stomped his left forward, and thrust both daggers forward, the left one stabbing into the stomach, the right one at thigh level. He held his position like that in a kneel...  
  
And he had a job to finish. 


	12. Part 12

Ranma 1/2  
Easy Target 2; Dirty Shot  
Part 12  
  
  
  
  
Ranma opened the service door to the top rooftop of the hospital. Dan's condition was deteriorating rapidly, but Ranma knew that if there was an iota of a chance of him pulling through, his would be killer would be making another pass at him, hopefully tonight.  
  
The ponytailed man held a huff, considering the changes that have been made in his life. When he had finally resided himself to being alone in the world, with only his name and what little he traveled with, Dan just happened by and offered him an opportunity to do something other than wander. The bodyguarding gig was good, and payed well, but it wasn't really something worth his abilities. After he further proved himself, Ranma found himself as an apprentice of sorts to Dan, as the Irish national had been the closest knowing him. The hitman job at its start, severely came to blows with his own honor and morality. But soon he became to understand the nessesity of the job; they weren't the 'bad guys', and they did tasks that even the local law enforcement would solicit of them. Sure, the killing part did its fair share of trauma to Ranma, but the ponytailed man did what he always did best in the face of adversity; adapt.  
  
Now, Ranma was a well payed, but still lonely hitman. Truthfully, as much as he griped about it, Ranma enjoyed the attention he, or 'she' got at strip clubs; it really wasn't *all* the work of hormones, actually. Dan was the only one he got any sort of affection from, even if it was simple comaradery, other than the girls in skimpy outfits tailor made to be easily removed. A few days ago, by happenstance, he met Kim, but was unfortunately forced to keep his facade about him so that in case his curse was activated, too many questions wouldn't be impossible to answer. The woman seemed as lonely and put out as he had been, and possibly still was, and as usual for Ranma, he put her hardship before his, and made a friend in the process.  
  
Just when Ranma thought he could progress with his life, his own partner's had come back to haunt both of them. The ponytailed boy's face grew grim at that; not that he was one to judge from his own jaded past, he had felt a certain amount of betrayal when Rugar's history was revealed to him. Ranma came to the conclusion that it probably had something to do with the fact that he did indeed look up to Dan as a mentor. He certainly treated him better than his own father had, and trusted Ranma impeccably with his back. Plus, he wasn't out to kill him or marry him in either of his forms, and took his curse in stride (though sometimes as a tool for amusement and Ranma's own embarrasment, 'lil sister' indeed...). He thought of Rugar as unflappable, the closest to the 'perfect' man to ascribe to. Suddenly, Ranma was presented with the fact that Dan was just human, after all.  
  
Ranma frowned to himself at that, he really did make an ass of himself, by passing judgement on Rugar. Guess that was probably the reason he was currently standing on the roof of the hospital, disobeying Richter's orders, and attempting to prove himself. He wanted to redeem Dan somehow, put his own honor at stake, and most importantly, because Dan never left a job unfinished.  
  
Ranma took a deep breath, now all he had to do was...  
  
::CLICK::  
  
Hold his breath, and stay still, as the barrel of a rifle was pressed against the back of his head. That was just plain sloppy of Ranma; getting caught up in self-reverie, and allowing a homicidal elite assassin to get the drop on him. Dan woulda never let him live this down.  
  
"Ah, hi..." Ranma responded lamely.  
  
"So, you're plann'n on avenging Rugar's death?" Northrop asked, removing his mask with his free hand.  
  
Ranma's eyes narrowed into a glare, despite the fact that Northrop couldn't see his face, "I have a job to do."  
  
Northrop's eyes lit in mirth, "Oh? Is that so? Nothing else?"  
  
Ranma slowly turned his head towards the assassin, "Does there need to be?"  
  
Northrop smiled, backed away, and lowered the rifle, "Good, 'cause I'm not letting you do me in as a favor to that bastard. He deserves nothing from this."  
  
Ranma turned around to face his soon to be opponent, while Northrop threw his gun down, and unsheathed his sword. He held it down at an angle away from him, and smirked "So, kid, are we gonna do this or what?"  
  
Ranma's hands flexed in front of him, and then he quickly reached behind him, unholstered Dan's Dagger guns. Northrop didn't even bat an eye when the guns were brought to bare, and two shots were fired. He effortlessly parried the bullets, and then parried Ranma's right stab towards his chest with an upward guard. Ranma hadn't sacrificed much in the feint to the chest, and quickly spun to his right, using his left forearm to parry Northrop's right arm all the way over, leaving his side open. Ranma continued to spin, and swung the right dagger gun in a back-handed horizontal arc for Northrop's head, spinning it like a buzzsaw by the trigger ring. The assassin barely managed to duck it, but ended up with a few hairs on the top of his head shorter. Northrop spun away from Ranma, and swung his sword in a figure eight pattern around him, forcing Ranma to jump back.  
  
Northrop spun back to his right to face Ranma, swinging his sword in a horizontal arc at the waist. Ranma faded back from the slash, and stepped back closer to the Englishman. Northrop suddenly reversed the grip on his sword in his right hand so it was folded against his arm, and brought his right foot up for a side snap kick to Ranma's left thigh. The ponytailed man quickly sheathed his left weapon, and swung his left arm down to parry the kick with the palm. Northrop didn't drop the leg, and brought it up for a snap kick towards Ranma's head. The ponytailed martial artist swung his left hand up and parried it with the back of his hand, then followed up with a slash towards Northrop's neck. The assassin pulled his head away in time for it to graze him, barely leaving a sliver of red that seemed to heal as fast as the cut was made.  
  
Northrop hopped away with his leg still raised, and then stomped it down, as he changed the grip on his sword, and brought it down to up left in a diagonal, twisting his body with the swing. Ranma stepped into the outside of Northrop's right leg with his left, and rammed his left elbow into his opponent's forearm, stopping the swing and stunning the muscle with the strike. Ranma then quickly swung his left arm down at the elbow, and locked his middle finger just behind Northrop's elbow. He then brought his right weapon over in a reverse grip, and sliced the assassin's arm just before the shoulder in the back, intending to sever the tendon from the joint. Ranma was successful in making the cut to the bone.  
  
They both hopped away from each other, Northrop grinning at Ranma, while the hitman stared grimly at his target, with the knife still in the reverse grip and dripping blood. The assassin grabbed the back of his arm with his right hand, "Not bad, first blood's yours." He then flexed his right arm, finding it in working order.  
  
Ranma's eyes went wide, "Wha... what are you?"  
  
The Englishman lost a bit of his smirk, "let's just say Rugar isn't the only one who sold his soul for gain." With that, he leapt towards Ranma with a downwards double handed strike down the middle.  
  
Ranma quickly brought the dagger guns up to guard, and was forced to match power with the assassin, "WHAT? You mean you made a deal with a demon or something?"  
  
Northrop collapsed into a shoulder charge, ramming Ranma forward into the rooftop, "Don't be so literal, kid..."  
  
As the Englishman approached, he slashed down at the prone hitman. Ranma quickly went into a back spin, using his legs to parry the sword. As the sword was moved off-target, Ranma kicked himself up into a backflip, and landed kneeling. From his low position, Ranma spun away to his right on his planted right knee, slashing at the side tendon of Northrop's right knee. The cut made true, forcing the assassin to stagger back.  
  
"Kay kid, you're just getting annoying now."  
  
Ranma slowly rose from kneeling, "Yeah, I get that a lot."  
  
"I bet ya do," Northrop made a suicide charge into Ranma, taking the shallow stab into the abs and to this right ribs. Ranma managed to maintan standing, but was staggering backwards towards the edge of the roof. Northrop ran at him, and leapt into the air in a tight two spins that ended with a hard roundhouse to the face that overpowered Ranma's guard. The ponytailed man was felled to the ground, and was forced to quickly pull out his left dagger gun, and parry hard and wild swings of a sword, ment to hack him to bits. Ranma turned onto his right side, and swung his left leg in a sweep, catching Northrop's leading leg and forcing him to stagger back. The Englishman quickly regained his footing, just as Ranma did his, and started forward again. Ranma twisted to his right and stepped past the Englishman; slicing deeply with a spinning blade into Northrop's gut, delivering a debilitating cut with the left weapon, and spun around, stabbing back into Northrop's side, probably puncturing a kidney.  
  
The assassin was playing a gambit, and took the blows on purpose for the opportunity to get close to Ranma. With the ponytailed fighter's back turned, Northop grabbed Ranma in a sleeper hold, and then adjusted it by bringing his sword to Ranma's throat, fully intending to use it.  
  
"Sorry kid, but you were starting to make this too personal," Northrop said seriously. Just then, the clouds above them erupted.  
  
"What... the Hell?" Northrop exclaimed, finding a redheaded woman in his grip. Ranma-chan took the advantage of the loosened grip and the slick of the rain to worm out of the hold. And with all her might, she leapt up, and used both feet to drop kick the assassin off the roof. Northrop had let go of his sword, and plummeted five stories. He landed on the concrete roof of the parking garage, leaving a spiderweb indenture. His spine was pretty much shattered, but already knitting itself back together. Northrop was suddenly forced to expell all the air in his lungs, as a redhead landed, kneeling on his stomach, jamming his own sword into his chest, going all the way deep into the concrete under him.  
  
Northrop wheezed to recover some air, and gave a weak chuckle, "N-not bad... got to... tell you that, no antidote... jussss wanted to watch... die..." With his last wheeze, the light faded from Northrop's eyes. Ranma stood up slowly, and staggered backwards. After a few steps, her legs could no longer support her, and she fell back onto her backside. With a tired sigh, she brought her forearms onto her knees, and leaned her head forward. 


	13. Finale

Ranma 1/2  
Easy Target 2; Dirty Shot  
Finale  
  
  
  
Ranma sat in the seat place in front of Richter's desk, as the latter had his back turned while he thumbed through a sizable amount of American currency. Ranma would have been fearing Richter's wrath for continuing with a mission that he was specifically ordered not to pursue, knowing how harshly the Austrian man dealt with those he felt had gone rogue. But presently, the young hitman didn't really care. If push came to shove, he would simply leave this life behind like he had Nerima; he loathed to run away from any of his problems, but it wouldn't benefit him any to stay with a target placed over his head. The ponytailed man grunted, waiting for Richter to finish making him stew in silence, as he contemplated the punishment for Ranma.  
  
  
"Eight hundred thousand American dollars for a job well done," Richter said, turning around with an expressionless face that didn't cover the humor in his eyes. Ranma blinked, and picked up the cash that was tossed onto the desk.   
  
He used his Amaguriken speed to count and double count the amount, and then looked up at his employer, "Huh? What's this for?"  
  
"You finished off the assassin that was running amok throught this city. That is just the initial contract fee, plus bonus. You can expect gratuity from many of the other heads for this job too."  
  
"Bonus?" Ranma stared with raised eyebrows."  
  
"Yes," Richter answered, "this man... Northrop, also made assignment of one of our operatives. I believe you are aware of my policy concerning hits on my own men?"  
  
"I guess..." Ranma replied, still puzzled.  
  
"Though you *had* gone against my orders, I am greatly indebted to you. Even Oyabun Takeo wishes to express his gratitude, but more formally, and in person." Ranma grew a slight frown, as he was reminded of another matter of business he needed to take care of; who had hired Northrop in the first place.  
  
"Uh, sir? This is also the pay amount for two operatives. I thought that if Rugar wasn't here to pick his own pay up, that it would be held for him until he is able to claim it?"  
  
"I'm sure that if you were loyal enough to go beyond my own orders in leu of revenge on his behalf; you can be trusted with his fee."  
  
Ranma almost huffed, "I didn't do it for him."  
  
Straumhaus waved Ranma off, before continuing, "We aren't bad men, Ranma. We provide a service that is appreciated by both sides of the law in this city. I remember when Rugar first brought you to me, how appauled you were with this business, until we put things into perspective..." Ranma nodded, recalling the examples given to him of a little girl to one of the local polititions being brutally murdered as punishment for failing to be persuaded by certain factions, and of the doctor who was assigned as a target that Ranma was sent to counter the hit and keep the lady medical doctor from becoming another 'example'.  
  
"True, none of us are without our flaws or past, but in this business, it is best we move beyond them before they bring us down further. Do not do this for revenge, do it for the propriety and nessessity of it all. Even Rugar could not be without his flaws, and he should be forgiven for them." Richter turned back to the plate glass window of his office, "And, onto other business. Daniel Rugar has named me sequiter of his estate..."  
  
"Huh?" Ranma wasn't sure what that meant, but the mention of his partner's full name and the word 'estate' set alarm bells off.  
  
"As you may be aware, Mr. Rugar had no family that could be contacted, so if anything were to happen to him, all his holdings and estate would fall to the hands of his younger sister that he was very fond of."  
  
"That doesn't make sense," Ranma replied, "You just said Dan had no family that you..." in realization, Ranms' expression grew annoyed, before mumbling, "Bastard."  
  
Richter chuckled lightly, before regaining his composure and continuing, "Yes, well, I was just to inform you, that if events concerning our mutual associate and... friend... make a turn for the worse, that there will be some paperwork that you'll have to fill out... before things can be fully settled after his passing."  
  
"But he's not dead!" Ranma almost shouted, not holding back the emotion he was feeling at being reminded at Dan's condition.  
  
"Do not disheart, I only wished to inform you of what you could... what is possible to suspect," Richter stated, correcting himself so not to upset Ranma even more. "But, I will have to state, that whatever toxin is coursing through him right now, was dangerous enough to effectively end his career with this organization. it was apparently made to irreperrably collapse the resperitory system with damage to the nervous system. As such, it falls upon me to have to name his successor for his position." Richter Straumhaus turned to Ranma, "He has always held you in high regard, and I heartily agree with him."  
  
Ranma raised an eyebrow, "But... you were, I mean..."  
  
"I know I seemed a bit... harsh towards you," Richter replied, knowing Ranma would be courteous enough not to finish his statement, "for the reason that I did not want you to become lax. You have great potential, and I wanted to see how far you could push yourself. And from what I've seen, I am not dissappointed."  
  
"Uh, thank you... sir, but..."  
  
"It's Richter to my closest associates."  
  
Ranma stood, and bowed, "Thank you, sir... Richter, but I am afraid that I will have to consider this a bit." As Ranma straightened up, he willed the emotion from his face, "There is other business that I must discuss with you..."  
_____________________________  
  
Ranma sat in seiza across from his host, while his most trusted associates and advisors sat in on the meeting, and bowed from her position, "I am honored as your guest, Takeo-san."  
  
"It is you that brings great honor to me with your presence," Takeo replied with a deeper bow; allowing his forehead to touch the floor, "You had saved the life of this humbled man, but you have done a great service to the city that its residents may thankfully never know about."  
  
"It was in the contract," Ranma stated offhandedly, "If I may, I would like to concern you with information concerning as to who Northrop's solicitor was."  
  
Takeo raised an eyebrow, "Indeed?"  
  
The redhead's face grew firm, "Yes, and I believe my conclusion is valid and just." Ranma seemed to recite from memory, as it was drilled into him how to approach this delicate and potentially explosive subject, "That night, when the 'attempt' was made on your life, the toxin that was used was blowfish excretement..." Ranma narrowed her eyes, "a toxin that you have had experience in."  
  
"Yes," Takeo replied, guilelessly, "I often partake in fugu sashimi, and it is not the first time someone foolish had attempted to use such a poison on me."  
  
"That's why you happen to have an antidote handy," Ranma's voice was growing more neutral by the moment.  
  
The crime boss raised an eyebrow, "It seems as if you are implying something."  
  
"My partner had... faced off against the same man. An unidentifiable toxin was used on his system that medical doctors have yet to be able to contain or reverse its ill effects, though currently his condition is beyond severe, but stable."  
  
Takeo's face grew grim, "And you wonder, why is it that this same poison was not used on me, instead of one I have a slight tolerance to?"  
  
"That would have been my question, if I didn't already know the answer," Ranma replied simply. Takeo's advisors and guards reached for their weapons, but their employer waved them to stop.  
  
"That is an acceptable deduction that you risk your neck for by shouting freely in the tiger's den. You are indeed bold as you are beautiful..."  
  
Ranma held her temper in check from the pass made at her, and bowed again, "I apologise, it was not my intention to make undue accusations against you."  
  
"Then you are quite a confused young woman," Takeo almost growled.  
  
"Allow me to explain. It is greatly known that you are a well respected and credentious man who upholds his honor above his position. As is the reason you were willing to use yourself as bait in order to subdue Northrop in the first place."  
  
"Indeed."  
  
"And, because of your trusted position, I also understand that you would take it upon yourself, that if a great deal of territory were to become open, due to the ridding of your competition, you would take it upon yourself to claim it for completely just and prudent reasons. You also would be the most favored to succeed in this, if other families were to compete against you."  
  
"That is true," the crimeboss replied, factually, "but it still seems as if it is an accusation towards me."  
  
"I also understand, that you would feel honorbound to not want to hold such power by your own. Tell me, Takeo-san, what would you do if you succeeded in gaining a massive amount of territory to your own?"  
  
"Why, I would divide it amonsts my most trusted advisors and associates that I feel would be befitting of governing the area justly."  
  
"Much like a Shogunate," Ranma-chan answered, and then pointfully looked around the room to see who would squirm at the implications. Takeo's mind suddenly caught onto what was being implied. Of course, it would be a perfect way for someone under him to gain their own individual power. With startling realization, he turned to his most trusted advisor, the one that had urged him to not remain to take on Northrop with what now could be realized as false sincerity. This advisor, that checked the previous day to ensure that Takeo's poison antidotes were up to date, even going as far as to refill the antidote for blowfish toxin.  
  
Ranma's eyes followed her hosts, and the man under scruteny started to become increasingly nervous. Takeo's face started to twist in fury, and without taking his eyes off the man, the crime boss reached for his short sword...  
_____________________________  
  
Ranma sat at home, contemplating her previous meeting. It had gone as well as she had hoped, even being offered a position as Takeo's right hand woman, in order to replace the one that had been... forcably removed from his position under the crime head. The man felt thrice indebted to her, and insisted that any favor she would ask would be met as by him graciously and without hesitation.   
  
Now that that was behind her, Ranma had to wonder what was next. She was now being given a promotion under Richter at Dan's expense, but felt still that she could not truly accept it. Ranma wasn't positive it was because she didn't truly know as much about the man who had previously served in it, that to take it would mean giving up on him, or that she may not be completely ready for it.  
  
The redhead's reverie was shaken away by the knock at her door. Ranma cautiously approached the door, and looked through the spyhole to find Kim at the other side. "Come on in, I wasn't expecting you," Ranma-chan replied, letting her friend in.  
  
Ranma noted the rather thin clothing that Kim was wearing that was showing the outlines of the small costume she was wearing not too long ago for work, and redirected her eyes with a slight blush that Kim didn't miss, but chose not to mention it, "I... didn't want to go straight home just yet. So I was hoping that you wouldn't mind some company."  
  
"Ah, well, you're always welcome here... I guess," Ranma replied with a slightly distracted tone that had nothing to do with her hormones at the moment.  
  
"Ah, Yohiko, something wrong? Has your husband come back home yet?"  
  
Ranma looked back to the woman, "Uh, no, he hasn't. It's nothing to do with him."  
  
"Then what's wrong?"  
  
Kim motioned Ranma to sit down onto the couch with her to start explaining, "Well, ah, I kinda got a promotion at work that would.... pay pretty well..."  
  
Kim's eyes lightened, "Well, that's GREAT news! Why are you so upset about it?"  
  
"It kinda.. comes at a price. The guy who originally held it may not be around... much longer."  
  
"Oh..." the Korean woman replied, allowing a few minutes of silence to spread between them. Kim once again spoke, "I guess, you were pretty close with him?"  
  
"Yeah... he was like a.... brother to me.." Ranma said in a subdued voice, while hiding the twitch in her left eye from Kim, "I feel like I don't deserve it, really. Or that if I did, it would be compromising my own morals."  
  
Kim's face grew stern, "Yohiko, listen, you are the most caring and wonderful person I have ever had the privelege of meeting in my life. In fact, if not for you, I would probably have broken down, and be back at my parent's after giving up here, and I only met you a few days ago. If he was really that close to you, he would be an idiot NOT to insist you take it, if he's as bad off as you're making it sound."  
  
"But... it feels like I'm giving up on him," Ranma-chan almost sobbed, "I mean, without him, I would be, I would be nothing!"  
  
Kim sensed the emotional underturrent of her friend, and moved to a comforting embrace. The Korean woman didn't want to bring up the question of where Yohiko's husband was at this apparent time of crisis, "Don't be like that, Yohiko. I think he would be honored to have you take over for him. If it were me, there wouldn't be anyone more I would trust. But are you just afraid that taking his place means that he's really going to die?"  
  
Yohiko broke down, "He was the only friend I had for the longest time. I... I, said some things, accused him of things I had no right to..."  
  
"I'm sure he understands, it's okay..." Kim cooed, lightly holding the redhead.  
_____________________________  
  
The next night, Ranma sat in the chair, looking over Daniel Rugar's prone and sleeping body. The ponytailed man had been there the whole day, just watching the first friend he had truly gained in the years since he left Nerima. Rugar had degenerated to a frailer version of himself, though his large frame still looked to hold some power in its near lifeless shell. Ranma knew that when Rugar recovered, not if, but *when*, he truly would not be able to continue his duties.  
  
Ranma finally stood up, coming to a descision, and spoke softly but firmly, "I accept." Ranma pulled a bullet from one of the clips for Rugar's dagger guns, and placed it in his former partner's hands. He bowed deeply out of the utmost respect, kinship, and comaradery, before walking from the room, and turning out the lights. Once Ranma was gone, Dan's hand clenched around the bullet.  
  
A light smile crossed the Irish national's face; he guessed this meant that he was officially forced into retirement...  
_____________________________  
  
Ranma walked from the hospital into the rain, and turned to look towards the room that Rugar was being held in. The redhead wondered why the lights were turned on to the room, and raised an eyebrow as one of the nurses closed the blinds to the room. With a bit more of a pause, Ranma continued her journey home.  
_____________________________  
  
At eight forty-two P.M., regardless of the frantic docters' attempts, Daniel M. Rugar was pronounced dead.  
_____________________________  
  
Credits:  
  
  
Ranma Saotome..................... Ranma Saotome  
Ranko/Yohiko Saotome..................... Ranma Saotome  
Daniel M. Rugar..................... Clarence McCleary  
Northrop..................... Mitch Grumman  
Squeaky..................... Carl Bishop  
Lap Dancer..................... Destiny  
Stripper 1..................... Jiggly Stuff  
Stripper 2..................... Blue  
Mae Hyun Kim.....................  
Crimeboss 1..................... Midnight Sun  
Crimeboss 2..................... Kwok  
Crimeboss 3..................... WFROSE  
Crimeboss 4..................... Old Dirty Bastard  
Crimeboss 4..................... Freelance Kun  
Crimeboss 5..................... C-Chan  
Crimeboss 6..................... DaSquish  
Crimeboss 7..................... DeSloc  
Crimeboss 8..................... Dasmen  
Crimeboss 9..................... Sailor Dragon  
Oyabun Takeo..................... Hirichi Mishima  
Richter Straumhaus.....................  
Northrop's Wife..................... Jess Powell  
Northrop's daughter..................... Samantha Harold  
Takeo's advisor..................... Richard Woon  
Crimeboss at bar..................... RyuuKaze  
Bodyguard 1..................... Rolo Fello  
Bodyguard 2..................... Arnold Seargant  
Bodyguard 3..................... Dexter Southland  
  
Stuntmen:  
Ranma Saotome  
Justin Slack  
Bruce Rose  
Jeremy Keith  
Ryoga Hibiki  
Richard Parker  
Steven Beaver  
Tiffany Freeman  
Lisa Zhec  
Rolo Fello  
Arnold Seargant  
Dexter Southland  
  
Stunt Coordinater:  
WFROSE  
  
Fight Choreography:  
WFROSE  
  
Costumes:  
WFROSE  
  
Scripting:  
WFROSE  
  
Original Concepts by Rumiko Takahashi, WFROSE, and Ben Ramsey  
  
'Hands'  
Performed by M-Flo  
  
'Monochrome'  
Performed by Ayumi Hamazaki  
  
'Come Again'  
Performed by M-Flo  
  
'Yours Only'  
Performed by M-Flo  
  
  
This has not been collaboration with any known studio or affiliation  
  
Special thanks to:  
-Rumiko Takahashi  
-Ben Ramsey  
-John Woo  
-Mike Soto  
-Steven Beaver  
-Getz  
-Rolo Fello  
-Mike Parker  
-Sheryl McClure  
-Olorin  
-Rez  
-Midnight Sun  
-Metal Cowboy  
-Pauly's Mom  
-Rhakal  
-Nabiki Tendou  
-And everyone else that supported this production  
  
This has been a WFROSE production  
___________________________________  
  
Stay Tuned for scenes for the upcoming spin-off series; "The 7 Fiancees"... 


	14. Seven Fiancees Preview

The Seven Fiancees  
Preview  
  
  
  
A woman of Japanese nationality walked down the hall towards the two men. Her hair was cut short to a type of moter cycle helmet cut, with the front covering her face exept for a thin slip that widened the further down it went. The tips of the front of her hair had red highlights, scarlet red, angry red. Her sultry walk had shown none of that anger in her approach, accentuated by the tight black leather pants she wore, the leotard shirt, the small leather jacket that was forcefully rolled up at the sleeves and only came down to her mid-drift if it were closed, and the leather gloves with steel nuckles.  
  
"Uh, how'd you get in here?" The first man asked, unconciously reaching for his gun.  
  
The woman tilted her head sideways, as if it were a stupid question to ask, "I walked in."  
  
"You couldn't just walk in here!" The second man stated, "this is a restricted building! There are guards posted at the door! Christ, if they're not doing their damn jobs up there..."  
  
"Oh, they tried to do their jobs, and put up a valiant attempt, while they were at it." The woman put her hands on her hips, and her lips that could be barely seen smiled.  
  
"Huh?" Both men asked at the exact same time.  
  
"In fact.." the unwanted visitor checked her watch, "We should be hearing about it right... about..."  
  
Suddenly, the alarms in the building blaired to life, and before either of the guards could react, the woman with the scarlet tipped hair went into action. Her right hand shot out, trapping the guard on her left's right arm to where he was trying to draw his gun from his vest holster. The woman then spun back to her left, ramming her left shoulder into the guard that was on her right. His head bounced against the ground, and he down the hall from the force of the short charge, as the woman, still holding onto other guard's arm, pulled him around to her left. she then brought her left hand into play, grabbing the man by his right inner thigh. She used her brute strength and the momentum from the spin to hoist the guard into the air, and then slam him back down so hard, the ground shook when his back connected. The woman clicked her tongue, and walked down the hall with a casual stride.  
____________________________  
  
In a gymnasium of some sort, a woman with her hair cut short, exept for a ponytail down the back, wearing a conservative men's style business suit that had been cut for a women twirled a thin six foot black whipping cane in front of her with her right hand. The three guards that she was confronting.  
  
Just as the first one drew his gun and pointed it at her, her staff shot out, straight into the barrel. The gunman tried to pull the trigger, but found the chamber jammed from the staff. With a jerk upwards, he was relieved of his gun. As the gun soared into the air, the woman quickly twirled her staff around, and made a backhand downwards strike , causing the middle gunman's gun to drop down, and shoot his partner in the foot. The woman then brought her staff over the middle guard, and brought the reverse end down onto the cheek of the first gunman who was still standing dumbfounded from being relieved of his gun. She then reversed the staff again, raising it in a fierce shovel, catching him in the chin, and launching in up and onto his back to land on his head.  
  
The third guard fell to the ground in agony, while the second one brought his eyes back to their advisary, who was standing there calmly, holding the staff in front of her for support. With a growl, he started forward, only to have the first man's gun land on his head. The woman watched the second guard's eyes roll into the back of his head, and fall backwards. Without giving it a second thought, she continued forward, stepping on the second gunman, while ignoring the cries of pain from the third.  
____________________________  
  
A woman in a lavender trenchcoat slammed her right palm into the chin of the first guard, and the thrust her right elbow into the neck of the second one. She then brought her left hand up, and open handedly back slapped the first man, then brought her right hand under her left hand in a yin-yang pattern and back fisted the second guy with her right hand. She then brought he right fist across, and socked the first guy, and spun into a left back fist into the second guy, as he recovered and turned back to her.  
  
The woman in lavender turned to sock the first guy again, but instead parried his clumsy punch with her right hand, and then ducked. A fist soared over her head from behind, clocking the first guard and rendering him stunned. The woman reached her left hand down to her right hip, and pulled out a custom lavender-chrome plated Jericho handgun. She slammed the second guard's head against the wall he was constantly being rebounded off, placing the side of the gun against his ear. As she raised her right leg up for a sideways split kick to knock the first guy out, she pulled the trigger twice.  
  
The woman giggled, dropping her leg back down in a sultry manner; first bending it at the knee slowly, and then at the hip. She then slinked off in a sultry manner, as the second guard screamed from a split eardrum.  
____________________________  
  
The man sitting in his office was climbing the walls at the alarm, wondering why in the hell anyone would choose to break in to the office building of his small, almost uknown specialized organization that was highly selective of its clientelle.  
  
He recieved the answer he truly didn't want, as his locked office door flew inwards, revealing three women right out of his favorite wet dreams, standing at the door.  
  
"Knock knock!" Scarlet mocked sweetly, with her hand still raised from 'knocking'. She walked in uninhibited, followed by Chef and Lavender. 


End file.
